Texas sues major smart TV makers over privacy concerns
Texas sues major smart TV makers over privacy concerns
State attorney general Ken Paxton calls these TVs a “mass surveilence system” in his complaints to the state courts.
One of the main reasons that televisions have gotten so much cheaper over the years is that manufacturers can use technology embedded in your set to track details about your viewing habits, in order to sell that data to advertisers. This tech is called automatic content recognition (ACR), and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants to put an end to its use by major smart TV makers. On behalf of the state, Paxton has sued five top manufacturers for unlawfully collecting user data to sell to ad companies.
Key Details:
- No peeking: Paxton alleges that these companies are violating Texas’s privacy laws.
- Dark motives: The attorney general says companies are tricking viewers into opting into ACR.
- Turn it off: The Streamable can help viewers who want to seek out and disable ACR on their TVs.
Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Hisense, LG, Samsung, Sony, and TCL for using ACR to collect and distribute viewer data to advertisers using ACR, in violation of the state’s privacy laws. In his complaint, Paxton says that TVs made by these companies are much more than entertainment devices; they are also a “mass surveillance system” set up in American living rooms.
Texas privacy rules say that electronics makers must give adequate disclosure that they are using software like ACR to collect customer data. According to Paxton, however, the TV makers named in his suit are obtaining viewer consent to use this software in a “deceptive or misleading manner.”
The suit is stacked with allegations against these companies, alleging that Samsung gives customers a one-click enrollment option to opt into data tracking, but that opting out can require more than 15 clicks across multiple settings menus to accomplish. Similarly, LG mislabels its ACR program as a “Viewing Information Agreement,” according to the suit.
Television makers pull in large revenue streams from selling consumer data to advertisers, which use that data to create more targeted commercials. Viewers often understandably see this as a violation of their privacy, but some companies have tried to get viewers to lean into the trend. In 2023, an outlet named Telly began offering free TVs with second screens that constantly showed ads to viewers who volunteered.
If you’re worried about ACR technology on your TV, check out this guide from The Streamable on how to disable it on multiple TV brands. The state of Texas is trying to enforce limitations on the use of ACR using the power of the law, and The Streamable will provide updates on the case as they become available.