ZDNet Report Details LG Smart TV Data Collection and Privacy Options
A ZDNet report says LG smart TVs collect extensive user data, including audio and payment information, and send it to LG AdSolutions. Factory resets and privacy tools can reduce exposure.
According to ZDNet, the practice is not limited to LG. Nearly every major TV brand engages in some form of data collection, either for sale to third-party advertisers or for internal marketing. Manufacturers have long viewed smart TVs as a one-time hardware sale but data collection as an ongoing profit stream. As brands add more integration, the report says, they gain more resources for those efforts.
LG AdSolutions says on its website that 49 million LG smart TVs are operating in the United States and 216 million are used worldwide, according to ZDNet. The data is used primarily to serve targeted ads and media recommendations. The report says the underlying code can track sensitive data and can use a home Wi-Fi network to determine a viewer’s location, accurate to within 10 meters.
The report distinguishes between data logs and data packets. A data log records activity on the TV, such as logging into profiles, activating voice control, searches and app launches. It is stored locally on the TV’s hardware with date and time stamps and is usually used only for diagnostic troubleshooting. A data packet is a snapshot of what the TV is doing at a particular moment. It can include an IP address, profile information, screen image information, audio recordings, Wi-Fi network settings and possibly precise geolocation data. Packets are sent to a central server for comparison with a larger database.
Images and audio fingerprints are compared against full scenes from shows and movies to identify what a viewer is watching or listening to, ZDNet says. That information is then used to curate suggested media or personalized ads the next time the screen is turned on. Data packets can be sent to servers as often as once every three seconds, giving brands like LG a large amount of user information that can be sold to third parties or used for internal marketing.
ZDNet says user data logs can be stored indefinitely. Some logs may have expiration and deletion protocols that remove specific information when the TV is powered down or unplugged, but many logs can theoretically remain for as long as the hardware works. Usernames, email addresses, passwords and payment information are among the most persistent, surviving app removal, firmware updates and power interruptions, according to the report. These logs can only be permanently removed through a full factory reset.
The report advises owners to fully reset an LG or other smart TV before selling it secondhand, recycling it or throwing it away. It adds that physically destroying the TV’s internal electronics may be advisable in some disposal scenarios to prevent motivated parties from scraping data for sale on the deep web or for personal use.
For people trying to reduce their digital footprint, ZDNet points to data removal services such as Incogni or DeleteMe, which can hunt down old profiles and forgotten free trials tied to smart TV apps. A deletion service cannot be run directly through a TV, but it can catch data associated with general internet activity, the report says. It also notes that several VPN services are designed for smart TVs as well as smartphones, tablets and computers for whole-home protection.
The ZDNet article also includes guidance on factory resetting an LG TV. Its recommendation is to reset the device before disposal or resale and to consider privacy tools for broader online activity.