LG Admits Smart TVs Spied on Users

Even after they opted out of the process

South Korean multinational LG Electronics Thursday confirmed that its smart televisions can track what consumers are watching, and that they continue to do so even after consumers select a preference that purports to deactivate that tracking.

Viewing data—including viewing duration, real-time tracking of the selected channel, and the names of all files stored on connected USB drives and network shares—is collected as part of the Smart TV platform to deliver more relevant advertisements and to offer recommendations to viewers based on what other LG Smart TV owners are watching, according to a statement LG emailed to security researcher Graham Cluley.