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LG Denies 'Spy TV' Claims Over Alleged Audio Capture
LG says its TVs do not record ambient conversations, while confirming network discovery and other data features tied to advertising and voice controls.
- On September 6, US hardware channel Gamers Nexus published an investigation alleging LG smart TVs record ambient audio and map local Wi-Fi networks, even when devices are powered down or disconnected from the internet.
- This activity supports LG Ad Solutions, the company's advertising business, which uses Automatic Content Recognition to monetize viewing habits and track household devices, claiming reach to 363 million 'addressable secondary devices' globally.
- Gamers Nexus, working with tech channel Level1Techs and independent security researchers, spent over 500 hours and roughly US$70,000 analyzing retail LG OLED sets using packet captures and firmware inspection to document transmission practices.
- LG denied the allegations on September 9, stating its televisions 'do not collect, record, or store ambient conversations' and that network scanning is a standard smart-TV function for device connectivity and casting.
- Researchers also identified remote code execution vulnerabilities allowing hackers to manipulate TVs as listening devices, prompting Gamers Nexus to crowdfund follow-up investigations into privacy practices at Samsung and Vizio.
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What we know about the LG smart TV spying claims
Smart TVs have quietly become advertising platforms, with manufacturers earning recurring revenue from viewing data long after the set leaves the store. A new investigation from YouTube channel Gamers Nexus put that business model under scrutiny this week. LG has now issued a flat denial, saying claims that its televisions record household conversations are not true. The company told Tom’s Hardware that its TVs process voice data only when the r…
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Total News Sources148
Leaning Left19Leaning Right7Center18Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Left
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Left
43% Left
L 43%
C 41%
R 16%
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