A comprehensive review conducted by Gamers Nexus has revealed striking findings regarding the LG smart TV off issue. The research shows that some LG television models can record sound via the microphone and scan for devices on the home network even when the screen is off. The review was conducted on various OLED televisions, including the LG G5 model. During the tests, the movements of the devices on the local network were monitored using Wireshark network analysis tools.

Network Scanning and Data Collection Activities

The analyzes revealed that the televisions constantly scan for devices such as phones and smartwatches on the home network. The devices do not only detect other devices on the network, but also record local IP addresses.

All this information is used by LG’s purposeful advertising unit, LG Ad Solutions

. While the company states that it has sold approximately 216 million smart TVs worldwide, the advertising unit states that it can access 363 million secondary devices connected to the same networks within the US alone.

The Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) system already present in televisions creates digital fingerprints by sampling the sound and images on the screen. This technology is used to determine which content the user has consumed from different input sources.

Microphone and Security Vulnerabilities

The most striking finding of the research was the part related to the use of microphones in televisions. In tests conducted in a laboratory environment, it was determined that televisions with the screen off and in standby mode could record sound via the microphone.

When the internet connection was re-established, it was determined that the previously stored audio files were exported. This shows that the device continues its data collection activity even when offline.

The researchers also identified serious security vulnerabilities in LG’s webOS operating system that could allow remote code execution. It was stated that these vulnerabilities had gone through the responsible reporting process at the time the research was published.

LG has not yet made an official statement regarding this comprehensive research. In your opinion, how significant a risk do these types of data collection activities of smart TVs pose to user privacy?

LG smart TV privacy issue is on the agenda. It has been revealed that the televisions record sound and scan devices on the network while the screen is off.