A researcher claims Samsung TVs use connected devices with mics to listen in on you
A genuine privacy concern, or a case of advertised features being misconstrued?
A researcher has claimed that Samsung smart TVs can listen to users even when they don't have built-in microphones. This assertion is based on anecdotal evidence, meaning it's not officially confirmed or recognized. The researcher, known as log4j, noticed strange ads on their Samsung TV and used ChatGPT to delve deeper. They were able to access the TV's operating system and discovered that the TV could collect audio data even without a microphone.
It does this by searching for other devices with microphones and using theirs to capture the sound. This audio data is then sent to Bixby, Samsung's voice assistant. However, this claim has drawn some skepticism. The researcher was reportedly banned from ChatGPT for what OpenAI accused as "cyber abuse". Samsung has advertised features like "Family Care" and "Pet Care" as being done on-device, which presumably includes listening to ambient sounds like babies crying or dogs barking.
Despite the researcher's claims, it's worth noting that there isn't enough evidence to prove that Samsung sends this data back to their servers. If the claims are true, we may see more reports as people continue to reverse-engineer their devices. Samsung has been contacted for comment on this matter.
Written by urgent.news from XDA Developers's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
