LG has answered the privacy complaints around its smart TVs, and its main pushback is straightforward: the company says its sets are not sitting there constantly listening to your conversations. According to LG, speech-to-text kicks in only when you press the voice button on the remote or use a wake word. It also says wake-word audio stays on the device unless that trigger is activated. Even so, that answer only covers one part of the issue. It doesn’t really put to rest the bigger questions around viewing-data collection, discovery of other devices on your home network, or the way that information can end up feeding ad targeting and audience measurement.
LG did acknowledge something else. When Automatic Content Recognition, or ACR, is available and turned on, the company says that data may be used for audience segmentation and for analyzing viewing trends. In plain terms, ACR can tell what you’re watching on live TV, and it can also pick up viewing through consoles, streaming sticks, and set-top boxes.
On ads, LG says interest-based advertising and cross-device advertising require separate consent. The company also says you can withdraw that consent later or switch off ACR. Privacy advocates have a different complaint: those controls may exist, but they’re often tucked away where most people won’t find them.
If you own a smart TV, that’s the part to pay attention to, because LG describes nearby-device scanning as a standard feature tied to connectivity and smart-home functions. And LG isn’t the only company that’s been pressed on this. Samsung and Vizio have both faced similar scrutiny over ACR.
Regulators have stepped in too, including LG’s Texas settlement in May 2026 and the Federal Trade Commission’s 2017 case against Vizio, which ended with a $2.2 million penalty.
For anyone using one of these TVs, the practical move is pretty simple: go through the privacy settings, turn off ACR if your set allows it, and think twice about leaving voice features enabled all the time.
Author: Manuel Bosque
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