Your smart TV is taking 7,200 secret screenshots every hour
- Thread starter wittaj
- Start date
Ssayer
BIT Beta Team
I guarantee my smart tv isn't taking 7,200 screen shots every hour. Wait! I don't own one!
Mine might be taking the screenshots but it can't send them anywhere. Doesn't show any ads either.
Spying use to be a crime, now every AI Data collecting company is doing it and most of the time, without our permission...
Mine probably is and can send screenshots (X 4 tvs). All of them are Samsung, and I love the "TV Plus" streaming channels for different news stations and several others with reruns of "Cops" type shows. So, yes-- my tv's get out to the internet and provide me content as such. I checked on one of them, and I had already disabled the "internet ads" on it, and submitted the "keep my info private" button. Do those actions really DO anything? It wouldn't surprise me to find out they get my info anyway. I honestly don't give a flying F if they know I leave Fox Live Now on for most of the day, or watch Cops Reloaded or LIVE PD reruns. the ads will be there whether I like it or not on those streaming channels.
We have LG TVs, we use Apps like Haystack for local News, Netflix for the wife and LG Channels. For us, we do mind that they are illegally, IMO, building a database of what we watch/do. We buy TVs for us to watch them, not strangers. We don't buy cars for strangers to drive them, nor a stove for a stranger to cook on it or a toothbrush for a stranger to use. I know this sounds a bit crazy but it is the principle for us. We are fed up with all these companies invading our lives.
Google searches were great in the beginning, then they put their highest paid clients at the top of our searches, then came the tracking, the ad pop-ups, their free apps so they could do more tracking of what we do and now here we are with the AI crap. We all freely gave away our lives, our privacy, our freedom to the "The Machine (The Beast)" Sorry for the early morning rant, I am awake now, LOL
Sure enough we found both LG TVs had the ACR "Live Plus" defaulted to On
I also `disabled Home Promotion and Content Recommendation (which is one of the reasons why we can't stand AI), NO we do not want your suggestions of what you would like us to watch...
Samsung Tizen TVs: Navigate to Home > Sidebar > Privacy Choices > Terms & Conditions. Uncheck “Viewing Information Services” and disable “Interest-Based Ads.” Samsung buries these settings deeper than IKEA assembly instructions, but persistence pays off.
LG webOS: Hit Settings > General > System > Additional Settings. Toggle off “Live Plus” (their ACR system) and enable “Limit Ad Tracking.” Disable both “Home Promotion” and “Content Recommendation” for maximum privacy.
Sony Google TV/Android: Find Settings > Initial Setup > Samba Interactive TV and disable everything. Navigate to Settings > About > Ads and turn off personalization. Sony splits these controls across multiple menus-because simplicity is apparently optional.
Roku/TCL: Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience. Uncheck “Use Info from TV Inputs,” then visit Advertising settings to limit ad tracking and disable personalized ads.
I think the thing that really ticks me off is they are capturing what we watch and do on other Apps? What gives them the right, does Netflix? The truth is, if we have a choice, majority of people would not want companies/people spying on us.
Are we living in Russia?
Thank You @wittaj for sharing this info...I passed this on to our family/friends...
Google searches were great in the beginning, then they put their highest paid clients at the top of our searches, then came the tracking, the ad pop-ups, their free apps so they could do more tracking of what we do and now here we are with the AI crap. We all freely gave away our lives, our privacy, our freedom to the "The Machine (The Beast)" Sorry for the early morning rant, I am awake now, LOL
Sure enough we found both LG TVs had the ACR "Live Plus" defaulted to On
I also `disabled Home Promotion and Content Recommendation (which is one of the reasons why we can't stand AI), NO we do not want your suggestions of what you would like us to watch...Samsung Tizen TVs: Navigate to Home > Sidebar > Privacy Choices > Terms & Conditions. Uncheck “Viewing Information Services” and disable “Interest-Based Ads.” Samsung buries these settings deeper than IKEA assembly instructions, but persistence pays off.
LG webOS: Hit Settings > General > System > Additional Settings. Toggle off “Live Plus” (their ACR system) and enable “Limit Ad Tracking.” Disable both “Home Promotion” and “Content Recommendation” for maximum privacy.
Sony Google TV/Android: Find Settings > Initial Setup > Samba Interactive TV and disable everything. Navigate to Settings > About > Ads and turn off personalization. Sony splits these controls across multiple menus-because simplicity is apparently optional.
Roku/TCL: Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience. Uncheck “Use Info from TV Inputs,” then visit Advertising settings to limit ad tracking and disable personalized ads.
I think the thing that really ticks me off is they are capturing what we watch and do on other Apps? What gives them the right, does Netflix? The truth is, if we have a choice, majority of people would not want companies/people spying on us.
Are we living in Russia?
Thank You @wittaj for sharing this info...I passed this on to our family/friends...
ACR takes fingerprints of anything connected to an HDMI port and displayed on the TV, not just the native apps and content.
I factory reset and disconnected all my S.M.A.R.T. (Surveillance, Monitoring, Advertising, Reconnaissance, Telemetry) TVs from the internet.
Guess what? I can still tune to OTA broadcasts and use it as a dumb monitor for my Apple TV. The best part is there are no more ads interlaced in the OTA channel guide, at the bottom of the screen, or pre-installed apps you can never delete. The first ~20 times I turned on the TV, it would display a pop up asking to to connect to the internet and accept the privacy terms.
I factory reset and disconnected all my S.M.A.R.T. (Surveillance, Monitoring, Advertising, Reconnaissance, Telemetry) TVs from the internet.
Guess what? I can still tune to OTA broadcasts and use it as a dumb monitor for my Apple TV. The best part is there are no more ads interlaced in the OTA channel guide, at the bottom of the screen, or pre-installed apps you can never delete. The first ~20 times I turned on the TV, it would display a pop up asking to to connect to the internet and accept the privacy terms.
I have a TIVO, DVD player and satellite receiver and use the smart google TV only as a monitor that keeps begging to be connected to the Internet. The TIVO can report to its mothership what I'm watching from it, but I can't imagine how it can report any activity related to the satellite receiver or DVD player. Both of them want to be on the Internet, too, poor babies.
For my newest tv, here is the settings for this. I had the upper highlighted box CHECKED, now UNchecked...
Since it was checked-- here is part of what I was agreeing to...
I did find it interesting that it states explicitly that no video or displayed content is collected.
This TV has a "VOICE" remote. Hate it-- and I never use it. With Samsung TV's, they will pretty much accept input from ANY Samsung remote. I bought a few extras of the following remote, dirt cheap from Amazon, and I use it with the new TV and one other that has a "Voice" remote. I have Never set up the voice feature on either tv.
Since it was checked-- here is part of what I was agreeing to...
I did find it interesting that it states explicitly that no video or displayed content is collected.
This TV has a "VOICE" remote. Hate it-- and I never use it. With Samsung TV's, they will pretty much accept input from ANY Samsung remote. I bought a few extras of the following remote, dirt cheap from Amazon, and I use it with the new TV and one other that has a "Voice" remote. I have Never set up the voice feature on either tv.
Smilingreen
Known around here
I have a Fire TV in my mancave. What bothers me about it is Amazon keeps reloading "Luna" back on the TV, almost as soon as I remove that app. I believe Luna is a spy software from Amazon, that watches everything you look at and for how long, but hides behind a false pretense that it is for TV games. I am not a gamer. I don't do games on my TV. Period. I have probably removed Luna over a hundred times by now. It magically just reappears and there seems to be absolutely no way to permanently get rid of it. It is the only software on my TV that does this magical re-install, all by itself. I am about ready to get rid of this Fire TV and go with any product that is not Amazon or Google based for a TV.
It's certainly harder to block this type of traffic being sent out from TVs and streaming devices because you can't simply block them from accessing the internet or you won't be able to stream anything. Other IOT device can be blocked from the internet entirely which is an easy way to make sure they can't send out personal information to unknown destinations.
I use "block lists" in an effort to block the telemetry data that TVs and streaming devices are programmed to collect and send out to online servers, but I haven't actually tested to see if this data is really being blocked or not. Outside of using a network sniffer there really isn't a good way to know for sure that your smart TV isn't sending out information. After all, block lists are only as good as the data/sites being added to them and it's a constantly evolving environment. Because networks typically allow all traffic to leave the network by default, there are plenty of opportunities for things to "slip through the cracks" because they aren't specifically blocked by the block lists.
I use "block lists" in an effort to block the telemetry data that TVs and streaming devices are programmed to collect and send out to online servers, but I haven't actually tested to see if this data is really being blocked or not. Outside of using a network sniffer there really isn't a good way to know for sure that your smart TV isn't sending out information. After all, block lists are only as good as the data/sites being added to them and it's a constantly evolving environment. Because networks typically allow all traffic to leave the network by default, there are plenty of opportunities for things to "slip through the cracks" because they aren't specifically blocked by the block lists.
Disable it via ADB. Uninstall will just have Amazon reinstall it. It's no more a spy program then Prime Video and Prime Music.
I do simply block my TV from accessing the Internet. If you must stream, you can use the TV as a monitor for a streaming device that can't spy on OTA, satellite, and DVD devices. It's convenience vs. blocking big brother from spying. I'm willing to take the inconvenience, but I suspect that's minority thinking. I'm horrified at all the convenience crap some of my friends eagerly hook to the Internet.
Arjun
IPCT Contributor
Smilingreen
Known around here
So, before I go to work everyday, if I open Kodi and dial up GILF porn to be played in the empty house all day while I am work, what exactly are these spy companies gaining? They probably could have just Queried AI and gotten about as accurate data about what I do or don't watch and when, as pinging my tv directly.
When you really think about it, what are they really gaining? I don't do any banking on my TV. I don't buy stuff using my credit card off the TV. I don't keep or view my last will and testament on my TV. I don't keep and view nakid pictures of my girlfriends on my TV. I don't keep my SS# on my TV. All they will get is the TV shows hours and hours of GILF porn on Kodi, Monday-Friday, 6:00AM-4:30PM. The evenings show thats my TV is off. Maybe they will send me a $1.00 off coupon on a bottle of Jerkins hand lotion? I am sure that data is a hot sell on the dark web.
All this fear mongering is just that. The internet data security companies make a fortune based off of fear. How are you gonna react? Fear and sex are the two biggest sellers of anything.
An ounce of common sense will far outweigh a ton of stupidity, playing whack-a-mole and the forever chase of a perfectly secure network and private data.
Arjun
IPCT Contributor
At the end of the day, its all businessSo, before I go to work everyday, if I open Kodi and dial up GILF porn to be played in the empty house all day while I am work, what exactly are these spy companies gaining? They probably could have just Queried AI and gotten about as accurate data about what I do or don't watch and when, as pinging my tv directly.
When you really think about it, what are they really gaining? I don't do any banking on my TV. I don't buy stuff using my credit card off the TV. I don't keep or view my last will and testament on my TV. I don't keep and view nakid pictures of my girlfriends on my TV. I don't keep my SS# on my TV. All they will get is the TV shows hours and hours of GILF porn on Kodi, Monday-Friday, 6:00AM-4:30PM. The evenings show thats my TV is off. Maybe they will send me a $1.00 off coupon on a bottle of Jerkins hand lotion? I am sure that data is a hot sell on the dark web.
All this fear mongering is just that. The internet data security companies make a fortune based off of fear. How are you gonna react? Fear and sex are the two biggest sellers of anything.
An ounce of common sense will far outweigh a ton of stupidity, playing whack-a-mole and the forever chase of a perfectly secure network and private data.
Fear mongering wins, maybe that's why the stores are all out of snow melt again because weather pundits screamed about a "potential" snow storm for this coming weekend, despite their AI models not coming to agreement
If nothing else, it's just a principle thing to me. I don't like being spied on.
Arjun
IPCT Contributor
From a CEO's perspective, how will companies know what to sell us if they cannot collect advertising data containing the type of content we consume
I am sure there is some kind of money making motive for all of this spying they are doing. They are not doing it because they have nothing better to do.
OMG, I had to look up what GILF stood for, hahaha, puke...
OMG, I had to look up what GILF stood for, hahaha, puke...