Your smart TV is programmed to spy on you. Not only is it trying to sell products to you; you are the product it is trying to sell to advertisers–or worse. Smart TVs come equipped with microphones and cameras. These enable the convenient features buyers want. Facial recognition, video chats, Wifi connectivity, and personalization.
Smart TVs are always connected to the internet. Hackers can get into it through your internet connection and/or Wifi. Avast.io details how a hacked coffee maker held an entire household for ransom because it was connected to everything in the house.
Statement From the FBI
“Hackers can also take control of your unsecured TV. At the low end of the risk spectrum, they can change channels, play with the volume, and show your kids inappropriate videos. In a worst-case scenario, they can turn on your bedroom TV’s camera and microphone and silently cyberstalk you.”, cited CNN.
How Does My Smart TV Spy On Me?
Your smart TV spies on you in three ways. Users often consent to having their data collected and sold to advertisers without even knowing it.
- Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). Collects data about what you watch. Facial recognition features enable it to recommend shows to individuals.
- Smart TV Camera. The camera is part of the ACR system. It can also record all that is happening in the room.
- Smart TV Microphone. The microphone can retain and share records of conversations.
You can deactivate most of these spying features but you also lose most of the features that make the TV “smart”.
What Type Of Data Can My Smart TV Collect?
Smart TV manufacturers and streaming services collect data to “improve your viewing experience”. The information is collected in data banks and sold to or shared with advertisers to better target you with specific ads. The information is often sold to data brokers. The data collected can include:
- Demographic Data. Age, gender, education, and ethnicity.
- IP Address. Provides your location and possibly information about your socioeconomic status.
Some of the tracking information is transmitted without any encryption–making it easy for hackers to access. Users may consent to data collection by the manufacturer or streaming service assuming that the information is protected. Nobody consents to having personal information accessible to anyone.
Once hackers have access to your system, they can get banking information, health information, and anything else stored in your computer. You also become a target for ransomware, phishing attacks, viruses, and identity theft. Smart TV spying increases the opportunities.
The news has reported many stories about personal data potentially being transmitted to foreign countries. Having your personal information including such things as facial recognition shared around the world is–at the very least–concerning. Make sure your smart TV is not your enemy.
How Do You Stop Smart TV Spying?
Too many people just click the “consent” box without reading all the small print. The larger print tells you that your consent will enhance your viewing experience, make the site better, and allow targeted advertising. (Clicking “OK” to cookies on any website allows the same data harvesting.)
Regardless of how boring and confusing the information is, taking care of your security and your family’s safety is paramount. Read the information and ask questions.
Don’t connect your TV to your Wifi network. Don’t connect it directly to the internet. Use a device such as Roku or Apple TV as a buffer. They are more secure. Plug the internet into the device and the device into the smart TV.
You can try to disable the spying ability of the TV. This may work but some manufacturers and service providers still collect data even after you have clicked “disable”. Different smart TVs have different systems that you have to access in the settings menus. They are not easy to find and may not provide the safety you want.
FBI Smart TV Guidelines and Tips
- Know exactly what features your TV has and how to control those features. Do a basic Internet search with your model number and the words “microphone,” “camera,” and “privacy.”
- Don’t depend on the default security settings. Change passwords if you can – and know how to turn off the microphones, cameras, and collection of personal information if possible. If you can’t turn them off, consider whether you are willing to take the risk of buying that model or using that service.
- If you can’t turn off a camera but want to, a simple piece of black tape over the camera eye is a back-to-basics option.
- Check the manufacturer’s ability to update your device with security patches. Can they do this? Have they done it in the past?
- Check the privacy policy for the TV manufacturer and the streaming services you use. Confirm what data they collect, how they store that data, and what they do with it.
