Your TV could be spying on you: investigation reveals how LG devices can listen to conversations and upload them to the Internet – even in standby mode

Being watched on your own television may sound like the plot of a sci-fi thriller, but according to an investigation, it is a very real story.

South Korean tech giant LG’s smart TVs are reportedly eavesdropping on conversations, secretly recording them and uploading the data to the Internet.

Any LG TV capable of connecting to the Internet can record audio from the room it’s in using its built-in microphones and webcams, even when they’re in standby mode or with the screen off.

And even disconnecting the TV from the Internet does not stop it from recording sound: any collected files are sent back to the company’s servers the moment it is reconnected.

The findings come from an investigation conducted by YouTube channels Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs with the help of two security analysts.

They claim to have uncovered extensive data collection used to create targeted advertising for LG’s Ad Solutions division.

Steve Burke of Gamers Nexus told The Times: “The only reason to give a TV this much power is to inflict horror on you, not to make a better product.

“Ultimately, we would not recommend LG smart products to literally anyone.”

Smart TVs from South Korean tech giant LG eavesdrop on conversations, secretly record them and upload the data to the Internet, according to an investigation.

According to the investigation, LG TV’s data collection capabilities are based on an automatic content recognition (ACR) system.

This allows the TV to capture snippets of audio and video, compare them to its media library, and track exactly what’s happening on screen or playing through the speakers.

LG uses this to track viewing and listening habits to create more effective targeting profiles for advertising.

This is not uncommon for smart TVs; however, Gamers Nexus found that the “trigger window” for voice recognition remained open for 10–15 seconds after the command was recognized.

During this extra time, the TV records everything that is said in the room, produces a text transcript, and stores it in memory.

The investigation claims that in addition to recording your conversations, LG TVs also monitor other devices in the house.

The TV scans Wi-Fi networks for connected devices such as phones and smartwatches and creates a detailed profile of the family.

LG says it tracks 386 million so-called “secondary devices” in the US alone, significantly more than the 216 million smart TVs sold worldwide.

Investigators say LG TVs also track devices on your Wi-Fi network to create a profile of who is in the house.

Gamers Nexus also published videos of LG executives talking about these features to advertisers.

Julian Silberbrand, head of information technology at LG Ad Solutions, told Swoop, a marketing platform: “At LG, we know who is part of the LG family. We know what devices are used here, we know what you see on TV, and we know how to extend that reach to mobile devices.”

Similarly, in other conversations, LG executives claimed to “own” users’ TVs.

Serge Matta, president of LG Ad Solutions, said in the video: “The fact that we own glass, we own glass, we own TV.”

Justin Fromm, head of research at LG Ad Solutions, told Beet.TV, “Because we own the glass… and we have our own ACR data… we understand everything that appears on the screen.”

While LG users are “connected” to these features, investigators say the terms are too complex for most people to fully understand.

LG owners sign up for ACR tracking by agreeing to a 50,000-word terms and conditions document that will take most adults about three to four hours to read.

When installing any app on a TV, users are also presented with six agreements, all of which have a Select All checkbox by default.

Which? rated popular smart devices in six categories and gave each a privacy score, with some TVs, air fryers and smart speakers found to be full of trackers

Acceptance of any of these agreements obliges the user to agree to the collection of their data through ACR tracking.

Researchers recommend avoiding LG products or, if you already have them, unplugging them permanently.

Mr Burke adds: “We believe the scale of LG’s data collection is intrusive and grotesque. “Also, we still believe that when you buy something, especially for thousands of dollars, you should own it.”

An LG spokesperson told the Daily Mail: “The claims made in the recently published video are untrue. LG TVs only process voice data when the voice control button on the remote control is pressed and held, or when a wake word such as “Hey LG” is recognized after the user has activated the far-field voice recognition feature.

“Except in these cases, televisions do not collect or record surrounding conversations. If the wake word is not recognized, the voice data is not transmitted to the server; Wake word detection is processed locally on the device and is immediately removed.

“In addition, to provide Smart TV functionality, LG TVs have the ability to scan for and connect to nearby devices on the same network. This is a standard feature typically available on smart TVs and smart home devices.

“ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) is provided by consent to provide personalized content recommendations, services and advertising. If the user does not agree to the applicable additional agreement, ACR data will not be used for advertising purposes.”