Yes, Your Smart TV Is Spying On You Heres How To Stop It
© Provided by CommandoSmart TV saves a lot of money compared to other technologies in the market. These include built-in apps that can save you from buying a streaming device like a Roku or Fire TV Stick.
As with any smart technology, convenience comes at a price. In exchange for an always-connected experience, smart TVs collect user data, lots of it. Tap or click here to listen to Kim's daily tech update on the smart TV dilemma.
You won't believe how your smart TV hijacks your viewing data. In some cases, it also collects information about your home. This guide will show you how to opt out of this data collection to enjoy the shows you love
Disable Smart TV monitoring function
Can you reduce browsing activity on your smart TV? Ha! Our advice: disable its tracking features, especially Automatic Content Recognition (ACR).
What is ACR and how to disable it? It's a visual recognition feature that can identify any ad, TV show or movie you're watching on your TV. These include set-top boxes, cable/over-the-air TV, and even DVD and Blu-ray players.
Check out 5 things you didn't know your smart TV could do
This information is collected and may be used for targeted marketing and advertising purposes. If this all sounds too scary for you, there are ways to stop it. The exact procedures will depend on the brand of your TV.
deputy:
If you own a Vizio Smart TV, you can disable the ACR features on your device Here's where it is.
On older Vizio TVs that use Vizio Internet Apps (VIA), go to TV System, then Reset & Controls > Smart Interactivity > Disable.
On a Vizio Smart TV using the new SmartCast system, go to System > Reset and Controls > View Data > Power Off .
Samsung:
Some Samsung Smart TVs include voice control. If you are concerned about your privacy, you can completely disable voice control, ACR and ad tracking
On newer Samsung devices, go to Settings > Support > Terms and policies . Here you can opt out of data viewing services (Samsung's ACR technology), web-based advertising (to display personalized ads) and speech recognition services .
On older Samsung Smart TVs, go to the TV's Smart Hub menu > Settings > Support > Search for Terms and Policies > then disable SyncPlus and Marketing . In this section you can also disable speech recognition services
Note that if you disable the Samsung TV's voice recognition services, its voice commands will be disabled
LG:
LG's ACR technology is included in its new WebOS-based smart TVs called LivePlus . To disable it, go to Settings > All Settings > General > Go to the setting called LivePlus > Disable .
To limit other forms of data collection on your LG Smart TV, go back to Settings > All Settings > Go to General > About this TV > User Agreements > Disable Personalized Ads.
Amazon Fire TV
Amazon's Fire TV platform is built into some smart TVs. Although Amazon claims it doesn't use ACR to identify content on its Fire TV Edition TVs, it can still collect information about the streaming channels you watch and the streaming apps you use.
To turn it off, go to TV Settings > Preferences > then Privacy Settings on the right. Turn off the setting called "Collect apps and air usage data ". You can also opt out of interest-based advertising in this section.
Roku TV:
On Roku-enabled smart TVs, you can disable ACR by scrolling down to Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience.
Then select Use data for TV inputs to disable ACR. Although this prevents Roku TV from recognizing your content at the pixel level, Roku can still collect information about the Roku TV streaming channels you install and use.
To prevent personalized ads on your Roku profile, go to Settings > Privacy > Ads, then select the option to limit ad tracking . Note : This setting is also available on Roku streaming devices.
Samba TV
Another way advertisers can track you is through a service called Samba TV.
How popular is Samba TV? As the New York Times notes, the company has signed deals with dozens of popular TV manufacturers to install the software on various models.
Samba TV brands include Sony, Sharp, TCL, Element, Sanyo, Toshiba, Westinghouse, Seiki and Philips .
Samba TV describes itself as an advanced level of technology that can understand what your TV is playing, regardless of the source. It communicates with your device, providing personalized recommendations and a unique second-screen experience for compatible TVs and apps.
But wait, there's more. The Samba TV system can also communicate with other home devices connected to the same network as the TV. This means that in addition to discovering and viewing content from the source, Samba TV can also create a map of the devices in your home.
Samba TV claims not to sell live viewing data. Instead, advertisers and marketing companies pay them to send targeted ads to other connected devices in the home.
For example, when a customer plays a TV ad, they can send ads and recommendations to your smartphone. Advertisers can add the Samba TV tag to their websites to let them know how many people have seen one of their ads.
You have selected Samba TV.
Have you subscribed to Samba TV without realising? When a Samba TV enabled device is installed for the first time, it is recommended that you join the service and accept its terms of service and privacy policy.
The choice seems quite tempting. "Connect to your favorite shows. Get recommendations based on content you like. Connect your devices for exclusive content and special offers.
The problem? More detailed terms of service are available only through a web browser or when switching to another TV screen.
Although these documents describe the practices to be followed, they are also long and difficult to understand. The company's terms of service are 6,500 words and its privacy policy is over 4,000 words (Who reads these confidential terms of service anyway?)
Surprisingly, more than 90% of people choose their options without realizing how much information they are giving the company.
How to log out of Samba TV?
If you're completely confused by Samba TV's data collection and want to opt out, here's how to do it.
Hello Nick TV
According to the Samba TV website, you can disable Smart TV services at any time by finding an option on your TV's settings page or in the interactive TV service interface.
Another way to limit spying if possible is to turn on "Disable Ad Tracking" from the "Privacy" menu in "Interactive TV Settings" on your smart TV.
Samba TV writes that if you do this, its advertising platform, Samba TV, will exclude your advertising identifier from ad targeting based on content viewing. You can opt-out of Samba TV's web and app-based interest-based advertising by following these steps:
web browser
You may opt out of Summar's use of browsing information for personalized or interest-based advertising by visiting https://optout.networkadvertising.org or https://optout.aboutads.info. Follow the instructions on the screen.
Mobile device
According to Samba TV, limiting the display of ads on mobile devices is the most effective and modern way.
Here's how you do it.
for the fair .
iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising > Turn off " Personalized Ads ".
For Android .
( Note : Instructions may vary by manufacturer and model.)
Android phone – Normally, on an Android gadget, you can enable Settings > Google > Ads > Personalization without ads. You can also reset your gadget's Ad ID on this page
Your other options
Some simple options, such as disconnecting your smart device from the Internet, may not be possible. This renders internet-based devices such as smart speakers or smart TV web functions useless and may not be a viable option for most people.
If you feel that the convenience of having these smart devices is not worth the privacy, then it is your choice to keep them away from home.
You might like it . A 30-second privacy check every Google and Facebook user should take today
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