Samsung follows LG in killing Smart TV apps that rent out your internet
The new policy blocks Smart TV apps from hijacking your home Wi-Fi.
Security researchers have uncovered a troubling trend among popular Samsung Smart TV apps, revealing that several high-profile titles, including the beloved Pac-Man, secretly incorporate residential proxy SDKs from data brokers such as Bright Data. In response to this revelation, Samsung has taken decisive action to curb the use of such technology in its ecosystem.
The tech giant has officially announced a ban on proxy SDKs, effectively halting the submission of new apps that include these functionalities and initiating the purge of existing offending applications from its app store. This enforcement measure follows a similar crackdown by LG after research disclosed that an alarming 42% of webOS apps were surreptitiously sharing users' home bandwidth.
The crackdown on Smart TV apps that bundle residential proxy software is a direct consequence of the findings, which demonstrated that these apps were compromising users' internet privacy and security. Samsung has provided confirmation to TechCrunch that it has already implemented measures to block new Smart TV app submissions that include residential proxy functionality, signaling a shift in its developer policies.
The company is currently focused on a comprehensive removal process for existing apps containing the flagged software, demonstrating a commitment to enhancing user privacy and safeguarding their home internet bandwidth.
Written by urgent.news from Android Authority's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
