Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has put out a consumer alert, warning the public about certain smart TVs that may be infringing on their privacy. As reported by the Texas Attorney General's office, these televisions, some of which have ties to the Chinese Communist Party, could be using Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology to monitor users without consent.
Five major TV companies, including brands like Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL Technology Group, were named in a lawsuit earlier this week. With a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued against Hisense, Paxton has already taken steps to halt the company from engaging in any further data collection. While shopping for TVs this Christmas season, Paxton urges Texans, "to avoid purchasing a television that allows Big Tech to illegally collect your data." Despite the companies being sued, these TVs are scattered all across Texas households, acting as what Paxton calls, "an uninvited, invisible digital invaders."
In addition to the warning, the Attorney General's office provided Texans with advice on how to disable the potentially invasive features. For most, the process begins with pressing the Home button on the TV's remote control to access settings. Users are then guided to navigate through menus — typically labeled General, System, or Intelligence settings — to find privacy-related options. Here, Texans may toggle off settings akin to "Smart TV Experience" and "Viewing Information Services," though each TV model may present slightly different terms for these functions.
Additional measures are suggested for those concerned with personalized advertising and data sharing. Privacy settings in some models feature choices to disable features associated with personalized ads or content recommendation. Some even offer options explicitly labeled "DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL DATA". By disabling these functions, users can take steps to protect their personal privacy from being compromised by their television sets.
