In a significant legal development, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has claimed victory in a case against electronics giant Samsung, accusing it of using its smart TVs to spy on consumers illegally. According to a recent release by the Attorney General's office, this win follows Paxton's ongoing efforts to crack down on invasive data practices by TV manufacturers.
The case centers around Samsung's use of Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology, which captures screenshots of content displayed on its TVs every 500 milliseconds to collect personal data without consumer consent, a clear breach of privacy under Texas law. This practice led to the District Court issuing a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), which now bars Samsung and any affiliates from using, selling, or sharing this ACR data in relation to consumers in Texas. The District Court deemed there was "good cause to believe" that Samsung's practices likely violated the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, as per the Attorney's General's office website.
"The days of Big Tech digitally invading Americans' homes and spying on them are over," Attorney General Paxton stated on the Attorney General's office. The TRO represents not only a technical halt on Samsung's collection practices but also reflects a growing concern over digital privacy and the handling of consumer data by large technology companies.
The legal action against Samsung follows a similar pattern of crackdowns initiated by Paxton, effectively putting a stop to Hisense's usage of ACR technology previously. Hisense, a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, was also reprimanded for its data collection methods. Pursuing what appears to be, a wider protective stance towards digital privacy, the Office of the Attorney General has taken action against five major television manufacturers for exploiting ACR technology without proper consumer permission.
