Samsung TV privacy claims surface as researcher logs pet, baby-cry detection

The researcher, posting on X under the name log4j, began examining the television's data use after on-screen advertisements became unusually specific, TechRadar reported. In data published from the TV's software, the researcher identified markers for dog-barking and baby-crying events, records of camera streaming duration and a capability that detects microphones in nearby devices. A Reddit thread summarised the claims as on-device AI listening for a dog and a baby, watching what the viewer watches and borrowing a soundbar's microphone when the TV lacks one.

TechRadar reported that the baby-cry detection was sold by Samsung as Family Care, a feature that sent alerts to connected mobile devices when the TV detected a child crying. Samsung has said it is discontinuing Family Care 18 months after launch, citing low usage and persistent false positives, including cases in which crying on screen was detected as real, according to the report. A related system, Pet Care, performs the same function for dogs. Both were designed to work while the TV is on standby.

On microphone detection, TechRadar reported that the posts show the TV only checks whether nearby devices have a microphone, with no evidence that it accesses them secretly. The report said a straightforward purpose is plausible, such as identifying available microphones for karaoke or video-calling apps so that those apps work when launched, and that discovering a nearby device is not the same as using it.

The researcher said the TV loads a region-specific neural network to monitor use of apps including YouTube, and promised a detailed breakdown of that activity. TechRadar said it had asked Samsung for comment and would update its article if the company responded.

TechRadar's assessment was that the findings point more to a privacy-policy question, including why such events are reported to Samsung's own servers and how much data television makers should collect, than to a covert surveillance scheme. It noted that companies commonly gather usage data to analyse and adapt features, and that data protection has not been a major legislative priority in the United States compared with Europe. The report also referenced earlier controversy over data collection by LG televisions.