While a perfect valid argument by @robertklep in the topic: I found my Homey app listed on LG ThinQ PLAY without any prior notice
I think the discussion about the video, about LG TV’s and Data collection etc. doesn’t belong there.
so all reply’s are split from there and moved below.
While a valid discussion, please continue that discussion here.
And sorry it is in the essence “Off-Topic” for the Community cq Homey itself.
I’m sure it can collect voice recordings and sell them if you hold the voice assistant button on the remote while the TV is off, but on almost every voice remote the connection drops after a few minutes to save batteries (and you need to press a button on the remote to wake it up again). This is how it works for my Xiaomi, Chromecast and Samsung TV remotes at least. So I think you need to press the button on the remote first before it can create a recording.
And the part about scanning the LAN is yet another reason to enable client isolation and block LAN connections fully.
To use the description somebody gave on reddit
For those who don’t want to watch the full 2 hour video:
• LG TVs record, store, and transcribe all your conversations and upload them in plain text - including ambient conversations. They also found where the microphone was software disabled via settings, it was STILL recording things but had the dB level so low that it looked like nothing but when amplified to +50dB later the conversations were actually still there.
• The TVs also do this while powered off, or even with the microphone disabled via software or hardware as there are multiple other secret microphones embedded.
• Even if you don’t agree to a single EULA when setting up the TV, it will still record and store this data.
• It will make profiles of every device on your network, to the point where it will note what windows programs you have open based on network traffic analysis
@smarthomesven so the remote argument does not really apply.
Yeah, I don’t believe that. If that was really the case, it would have been discovered years ago. Hidden cameras or hidden microphones really only exist in some airbnb’s, I don’t believe that a consumer device has hidden microphones or cameras.
I think hidden might be a bit of a stretch on part of the reddit user. But for example the LG G5 has a built in microphone that is not clearly visible and they will also use any microphone that’s connected via USB (for example a Webcam, like many companies might use in conference rooms).
Well, I think it’s false, you would easily be able to see that in the network traffic and it would have been discovered years ago since many people audit these big brands, for example, for finding security vulnerabilities. I don’t believe that LG delibarately spies on its users.
I certainly believe that LG (and all other TV brands) use recordings of voice commands when activated on the remote for the purpose of improving its voice AI models or speech recognition, but I don’t think that LG spies on everything you say when you don’t activate the voice remote. And if they do, I still think that it’s probably just a bug.
There’s also a legitimate use for microphones or cameras in the TV itself, for example for video conferencing.
For example, I can start a meeting on Google Meet, give access to the camera and microphone and go all over Reddit saying how Google is secretly live-streaming my camera to everyone who has the link. But it’s simply the intended purpose of such software. LG might have similar video conferencing software.
Go tell Tweakers.
In any case, what anyone’s opinion on this matter is, is not relevant. Fact is that LG collects and sells user data, and I don’t want to be a part of that.
That’s your choice of course. I don’t mind them collecting data about me. I enable telemetry everywhere since I like improving systems (even the AI models). Telemetry helps developers get insight into the usage of their system, which is very valuable to the developer.
I found another similar article, but unfortunately it’s only in German.
I believe those articles are based on this research video by Gamers Nexus.
