LG looking into claim smart TVs grab user data

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP, Excite

By YOUKYUNG LEE

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - LG Electronics Inc. said it is investigating a claim that some of its smart TVs send information on home viewing habits back to the company without consent.

The investigation comes after Jason Huntley, a 45-year-old IT consultant in Britain, detailed in his blog how his LG smart TV logged the channels he was watching and sent the data to LG.

He said the company continued to collect which channel he was watching even after he disabled the information collection feature.

"The (LG) server acknowledges the successful receipt of this information back to the TV," he said in an email. The information appeared to be sent to LG unencrypted, he said.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20131121/DAA6VGHG2.html

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In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 file photo, South Korean models pose with a CINEMA 3D Smart TV during a press conference to introduce the LG Electronics' television and the company's marketing strategy for 2012 in Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics Inc. said it is investigating a claim that some of its smart TVs send information on home viewing habits back to the company without consent. The investigation comes after Jason Huntley, a 45-year-old IT consultant in Britain, detailed in his blog how his LG smart TV logged the channels he was watching and sent the data to LG. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

[Fantastic Anarchist]

1. I have a 55" model of the 2012 CINEMA 3D Smart TV ...

I was totally unaware of this. I don't even remember seeing the option to turn that off, though I still have to check.

Edit: Changed feet to inches

[Kelvin Mace]

2. Edit: Changed feet to inches

Well damn, I was coming over to your house with my entire DVD collection.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

3. Heheehehe

If I could afford it, I'd get one. I'm not, by any means, one of those that has to get the largest or best of anything, except when it comes to television.

If they had a 55 footer, and I could afford it, I'd get it.

And you'd be invited over to view your entire collection.

[cui bono]

11. Except that on that size of a screen it would have to be a blu-ray collection.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

12. Duh, of course!

I mean, come on.

[greiner3]

4. LG:

An NSA front!

[d_r]

5. so what

If I am watching HDMI 1 2 or 3, it can't know what those are let alone what they're playing

[bananas]

6. Actually, it could

the same way soundhound and shazaam can tell what music you're listening to.

[d_r]

8. it doesn't know if I'm plugging in

an xbox, a netflix box, a blu-ray, a cable box, a sat. box.


eta = it says it is smart tvs, so I'm assuming it has a smart tv service that is what it is talking about.

[aggiesal]

7. All the major cable companies . . .

have been doing this for years.
The Set-Top-Boxes would report back
what frequency your STB was tuned to, thus knowing
what channel you were watching.

And TiVO would even recommend what to record
based on your viewing habits.

[DeSwiss]

9. ''Smart'' teevee?

- Now there's an oxymoron if I ever saw one.....

[jmowreader]

10. You know what the investigation is really about...

"All of them were supposed to do it. Which engineer do we have to fire for not including that?"