LG TVs Caught Spying Even When Offline or On Standby
A Gamers Nexus investigation found that LG smart TVs are almost constantly logging and uploading data about owners and their homes, even while they are offline or in standby mode. "The company's TV sets scan Wi-Fi networks for nearby devices, record audio logs through their microphones, and use audio and video sampling to recognize exactly what you're watching from across the TV inputs," reports…
Gamers Nexus investigation reveals LG smart TVs continuously logging and uploading data, even when offline or in standby. The TVs scan Wi-Fi networks for nearby devices, record audio through microphones, and use audio/video sampling to recognize content being watched across TV inputs, according to The Verge. Gamers Nexus collaborated with YouTubers Level1Techs and independent security researchers to test retail LG OLED TVs.
Packet captures demonstrated the TVs scanning the local network for nearby hardware, logging location data, Wi-Fi network details, and relaying this information back to LG Ad Solutions. Alarmingly, the TVs could record microphone audio in standby mode, even after being disconnected from the internet, with audio files stored offline and uploaded upon reconnection.
LG previously installed an adware-like app on Windows PCs, running pop-up ads for other LG apps and McAfee antivirus.
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- LG TVs caught spying even when offline or on standby theverge.com
