In a decisive legal maneuver, Attorney General Ken Paxton recently put a pause on Samsung's disputed practice of using Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology in its smart TVs — a feature that was reportedly capturing screenshots of on-screen content every half-second and potentially invading the privacy of Texan consumers. The temporary restraining order (TRO), which also impacts anyone working with Samsung, aims at ceasing the use, sale, transfer, collection, or sharing of ACR data in relation to Texas residents, according to the Office of the Attorney General's official website.
A Texan court found substantial grounds to believe that Samsung's use of ACR might breach the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. According to the Office of the Attorney General, Samsung is among a handful of television producers that had been surreptitiously harvesting personal data, a move that Paxton is determined to outlaw, expressing, “The right to privacy is fundamental, yet for too long smart TV manufacturers like Samsung were secretly using advanced technology to spy on Texans without their knowledge. Now, after filing our lawsuit just a few weeks ago, we’ve secured a court order stopping this unlawful monitoring. This is a major win for Texans and for digital privacy.”
This case comes on the heels of a similar order against Hisense, reputedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party, to prevent the use of ACR for data collection purposes within the state. Paxton's office has taken legal action against a total of five major television manufacturers over their deployment of ACR technology, which amassed sensitive user data without consumers' explicit consent.
During this ongoing saga, the protection of digital privacy has been front and center, with Paxton declaring, “The days of Big Tech digitally invading Americans' homes and spying on them are over.” The litigation, only weeks old at the filing, yielded a rapid and what Paxton considers a pivotal victory, setting a precedent for privacy in the technology sector. It reflects a growing public and governmental scrutiny over how tech companies collect, use, and manage consumer data.
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