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Texas Sues Biggest TV Makers, Alleging Smart TVs Spy on Users without Consent

On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed lawsuits naming Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL Technology Group Corporation, accusing them of spying on Texans through Automated Content Recognition.
Automated Content Recognition technology uses visual and audio data to identify what viewers watch, and Paxton alleges Samsung and Hisense capture screenshots every 500 milliseconds, monitoring viewing in real time.
Paxton described ACR as `an uninvited, invisible digital invader` that unlawfully collects personal data, which television owners then package and sell to advertisers, calling it `invasive, deceptive, and unlawful`.
Paxton asks the court for civil penalties and bans on data collection, seeking to block Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL from handling Texas consumers' ACR data; LG spokesman declined to comment.
Nearly 70 percent of reported 'main' TVs come from the five brands, and Paxton warns ACR could expose sensitive personal information like passwords and bank information in Texas households.

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27 Articles

Texas lawsuit says 5 TV companies are 'spying' with content recognition tech

In the most basic terms, ACR technology sees and hears what you're watching so it can get an idea of your taste in content, and then recommend things you might like based on what you've seen.

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Ars Technica

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Texas sues biggest TV makers, alleging smart TVs spy on users without consent

Automated Content Recognition brings “mass surveillance” to homes, lawsuits say.

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PC Mag

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Texas Sues Top TV Makers for 'Secretly Recording' What You Watch

Automated Content Recognition (ACR) is mainly used to serve up targeted ads on smart TVs, but Texas AG Ken Paxton is suing LG, Samsung, Sony, and others for hiding it away in settings.

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Engadget

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Texas sues five TV manufacturers over predatory ad-targeting spyware

AG Ken Paxton accused Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL of "spying on Texans."

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Tech Radar

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Your TV is a ‘mass surveillance system’ says Texas, and the state is suing LG, Samsung, Hisense, TCL, and more to stop it

Texas's AG is suing Samsung, LG, TCL, Hisense, and Sony over their apparent use of ACR to deliver custom content and advertising.

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Breitbart

Right

Texas AG Ken Paxton Sues Major TV Companies for 'Spying on Texans'

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed lawsuits against five major television companies, accusing them of unlawfully collecting personal data through Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology built into their devices. According to Paxton, major TV manufacturers including Sony, Samsung, and LG are snooping on owners in a way that is "invasive, deceptive, and unlawful."

20 hours ago·United States

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