Your smart TV knows what you watch: TV makers answer 17 tracking questions

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Short answer: yes, your smart TV collects data about what you watch, and it is not just LG. Most manufacturers let you switch off automatic content recognition (ACR) in the settings, but none of them lets you stop all data while the TV is online. That is the picture from a survey The Verge published on 11 November 2026, in which TV and streaming companies answered 17 questions about privacy. I read it from the point of view of someone with an LG, a Samsung or a Google TV set in the living room.

The 30-second version (as of 11 November 2026)

• John Higgins of The Verge sent 17 yes-or-no questions to 11 companies. Seven answered: Amazon, Apple, Google, LG, Roku, Samsung and TCL. Sony, Panasonic and Vizio did not answer the questions, and Hisense did not reply to the emails.
• LG and Samsung say ACR is off by default and only runs after you opt in. Google admits that usage and diagnostics sharing and personalisation are on by default during Google TV setup.
• Nobody answered “yes” to the question whether you can stop sending all data.
• Unplugging the internet stops transmission, but Amazon, Google, Roku and TCL admit that some diagnostic data may wait on the TV and be sent once it reconnects. Samsung says it depends on the model.

Why the survey happened

The trigger came in September 2026. The YouTube channel Gamers Nexus, together with Level1Techs and independent researchers, published a long investigation into LG TVs. They said the sets scan the home network, collect data about nearby Wi-Fi networks, and that they managed to record audio through a TV in hibernation. LG answered in a statement dated 12 September that its TVs do not continuously record or transmit conversations and that the wake word is detected locally. It confirmed the network scanning and called it an industry standard.

Higgins wanted to know whether LG is the exception. He wrote questions that could not be answered with a link to a privacy policy: do the microphones listen, does the TV take screenshots, does it send location, does it know about other devices on the network, can the data be deleted. One caveat from me: these are company statements, not measurements.

Who answered and who did not

I counted how many of the 17 questions each company answered on substance, rather than with “no direct answer”.

Five findings that matter in the living room

1. No screenshots, but ACR still knows what is on

LG, Samsung, Amazon, Roku, Apple and Google deny that the TV takes screenshots or records video. LG explains that its ACR works on audio fingerprints taken from the TV’s internal audio path, not from the speaker or a microphone. For an advertiser the result is the same: the system recognises the programme, the channel or the film from a set-top box. Google adds an important footnote: Google TV itself has no ACR, but the TV maker can add its own.

2. Off by default, unless you clicked “accept all”

LG and Samsung say ACR is opt-in. In practice, the first setup shows several consent screens, and accepting everything is the easiest button. If that is what you did, ACR is probably on. Google was the only one to say plainly that usage and diagnostics, personalised recommendations and ads, and Web & App Activity are on by default during Google TV setup unless you untick them.

3. Location from Wi-Fi, not GPS

No TV has GPS. LG admits that with ACR on, the IP address and data about nearby Wi-Fi networks (MAC addresses, signal strength) may be used to estimate location. TCL collects the IP address and the network name, Google the IP address and a Wi-Fi scan. Samsung says it uses only the IP address to determine the country or region.

4. The TV knows what else is on your network

LG confirms it identifies other devices on the home network and may pass information about them to a third-party service provider. Google TV discovers Cast and smart home devices and sends discovery logs. Samsung says it does not take an inventory of devices on the network.

5. Cable out, queue stays

Disconnecting the TV from the internet stops transmission for every company that answered. But Amazon, Google, Roku and TCL say some diagnostic data may stay in memory and go to the server after reconnection. LG says it stores nothing for later. Practical takeaway: if you want an offline TV, withdraw the consents first and connect it only for software updates.

Researchers checked whether “off” means off

The Verge also cites the Northeastern University study “Watching the Watchers” from October 2026. The researchers tested 12 TVs from 10 manufacturers in 5,943 automated runs. After ACR was switched off, recognition traffic stopped on LG (webOS), Amazon Fire TV, Sony with Google TV and the VIDAA system used by Hisense. On Samsung, traffic “consistent with ACR” continued in all 30 runs on its own streaming service, although the researchers note it was encrypted and they cannot see its content. Vizio kept sending data despite the opt-out; the company says it is operational data.

What the law says where you live

Rules depend on where you live. In the US, Texas sued Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL over ACR in December 2025; Samsung and, in May 2026, LG settled and must ask Texans for informed consent with a clear on-screen notice. Back in 2017 Vizio paid 2.2 million dollars to settle with the FTC and New Jersey over collecting viewing histories from 11 million TVs without consent. In the EU and the UK, the GDPR requires consent that is freely given, specific, informed and as easy to withdraw as to give, and you can ask the manufacturer for a copy of your data and for its deletion. In Europe, a Portuguese consumer group, Citizens’ Voice, sued LG in early November 2026.

What to switch off tonight

• LG (webOS): according to LG’s user guide: Settings, General, System, Additional Settings, then turn off Live Plus and Live Promotion. Consents: Support, Privacy & Terms, User Agreements.
• Samsung (Tizen): according to Samsung’s help page: Home, Menu, Privacy Choices, Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, and untick the consents, including Viewing Information Services.
• Google TV (Sony, TCL, Philips, Xiaomi and others): Settings, Privacy, Ads (delete the advertising ID), and check usage and diagnostics. The TV maker’s own ACR, if any, is in that brand’s privacy or terms settings.
• Hisense, Panasonic and others: no official path published. Check Settings, then Privacy or Terms.

Step-by-step paths for each brand, with sources: How to turn off ACR and smart TV tracking: LG, Samsung, Sony, Google TV.

Kinetyra