It probably does not surprise us that devices connected to the internet can share certain data with manufacturers or advertisers; unfortunately, this is our everyday reality. But what if it turned out that by using our television, screenshots of what we are currently watching are being taken and shared? Such a conclusion was drawn after conducting the latest research.
Currently, all Smart TVs use ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) technology, which allows for screenshots of our display to be taken. How does this solution work? The collected data is sent to a server that analyzes the content we view and can customize movie/series recommendations or display personalized advertisements. Below is an illustration of this.
The research was conducted on LG and Samsung televisions, and although the authors were unable to determine exactly what is being recorded, they were able to analyze the traffic between the television and the server to determine how often and how much data is being collected on the TV. It has been shown that televisions continuously send large amounts of data about what is being displayed. LG captures a screenshot of the television every 10 ms (100 times per second), while Samsung does it every 500 ms (twice per second). However, Samsung "sends up to 2X more data at a higher frequency to ACR domains compared to LG" while using the television.
ACR collects data also while displaying content through devices connected via HDMI. Thus, when our television serves as a display for browsing family vacation photos or documents with sensitive data, such images are also transmitted to the server. According to the aforementioned studies, significantly more data is usually collected when the television is used with HDMI ports or when watching standard television. Below is the frequency and amount of data transmitted on LG and Samsung televisions using examples from the UK.
Interestingly, network ACR does not occur when streaming content from third-party applications such as Netflix and YouTube. What can be done to limit data transmission from other applications or to completely turn off this function? Usually, one would need to revoke consent for ad display, data processing, or remote device management. However, this does not indicate a complete disabling of tracking capabilities. The only option is to disconnect the television from the Internet and use external devices, e.g. Apple TV 4K, which according to the manufacturer does not use ACR.
Source:
https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1730444985
https://www.tech4law.co.za/tech-advisor/security-d91/watch-out-how-to-stop-your-smart-tv-from-spying-on-you/
