Consent is a pretty big issue in tech, and even more so on shared devices like smart TVs. We recently learned that several TV manufacturers are being sued for recording what their customers watch.
The Attorney General of Texas sues five major TV manufacturers and specifically:
Sony, Samsung, LG, HiSense, TCL
The reason behind the lawsuit concerns the alleged use of Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology to record what their customers are watching. According to the lawsuit, ACR is capable of taking screenshots every 500 milliseconds (that's two screenshots every second), understanding what the user is watching in real time, and, most importantly, sending this data back to TV manufacturers without the explicit consent of the end user.
The attorney general highlighted the risks of sending US customer data back to Chinese servers owned by HiSense and TCL. Both of these companies are subject to China's National Security Law, which means the Chinese government can access their data – and US customer data – at any time.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton highlighted his concerns, noting that:
“Companies, especially those affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording the devices of Americans inside their homes.
"This behavior is invasive, deceptive, and illegal. The fundamental right to privacy will be protected in Texas because owning a television does not mean you hand over your personal information to big tech companies or foreign adversaries."
ACR is commonly used by TV manufacturers to record their users so they can tailor personalized content and advertising experiences that they are more likely to watch. It is usually enabled by default on most modern smart TVs, but can -usually- be disabled by the user from the device's privacy settings.
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
