Newer LG TVs are spying on you

[Jaymoss]

Thanks to Sirius who bought this to my attention but I think this is bad really bad

If you connect a Newer LG TV or Monitor it silently without asking pulls the LG Monitor controller and installs this on your computer . This software has system wide permissions and has access to the internet. Remember this asks no permission yet gets global permissions

Now this bit might just be in the US where GDPR laws are different to the UK and Europe but in the US their TVs are analysing pixels and reporting back what you are watching. Also in the small print it literally tells the buyer to inform anyone who visits that they could be recorded.

I mean wtf.

Yes we know Echo Devices listen as it is part of their model but your TV too.

I have a OLED TV LG connected to my PC and this installed the software silently I had no idea it was on my system. I went into group policy and set it so installs can not be triggered by meta data. Most people will have no idea about this. I have also disconnected it from the internet and will only give it internet to check for firmware updates. As I use this as a monitor I do not need Smart features

I am still going to buy the 65 inch version of this TV because I know this issue and can work around it. LG tend not to have things like freely and often not even freeview max so not the best Smart TV experience anyway and it will have a PC connected too it so I will not need Smart features anyway .
But there are a lot of people who will have no idea their new LG TV is spying on you

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Jaymoss

Thanks to Sirius who bought this to my attention but I think this is bad really bad

If you connect a Newer LG TV or Monitor it silently without asking pulls the LG Monitor controller and installs this on your computer . This software has system wide permissions and has access to the internet. Remember this asks no permission yet gets global permissions

Now this bit might just be in the US where GDPR laws are different to the UK and Europe but in the US their TVs are analysing pixels and reporting back what you are watching. Also in the small print it literally tells the buyer to inform anyone who visits that they could be recorded.

I mean wtf.

Yes we know Echo Devices listen as it is part of their model but your TV too.

I have a OLED TV LG connected to my PC and this installed the software silently I had no idea it was on my system. I went into group policy and set it so installs can not be triggered by meta data. Most people will have no idea about this. I have also disconnected it from the internet and will only give it internet to check for firmware updates. As I use this as a monitor I do not need Smart features

I am still going to buy the 65 inch version of this TV because I know this issue and can work around it. LG tend not to have things like freely and often not even freeview max so not the best Smart TV experience anyway and it will have a PC connected too it so I will not need Smart features anyway .
But there are a lot of people who will have no idea their new LG TV is spying on you

LG are not the only TV manufacturer doing this for TV set's but it is a new escalation when there monitors do it via the Microsoft store. It's obvious that Microsoft have a hand in this as it's there store and there update system that LG are using to silently install this malware.

Thankfully it does not affect me as i am now totally Linux but i feel sorry for those that have to use Windows.

[Jaymoss]

for those like myself it is easy to sort out but the fact I had no clue it had happened till you posted is the scary part

[Carth]

No offence intended, but it all seems a tad silly to me, getting worked up about a monitor trying to spy on you . . . while you're running on the Malware once known as WINDOWS

[Jaymoss]

None taken

I fundamentally am lazy and I have no interest in Linux as I am more than happy with everything just working on windows. Yes M$ and LG are snide here but at least I know from the offset M$ is snide and can do something about it (Thank you Christ Titus iykyk) now I know about LG and con do something about it. But it is not just PCs it is TVs as well.

I am sure I have ADHD and if Nix did interest me I would master it but sadly it does not

[Carth]

For years there has been 'talk' of TV's spying on you, in fact anything with 'smart' (lol) capabilities and an internet connection has at some time been involved in a discussion about what they're up to in the background.

We now live in the age of data collection, there should be no surprises as to how low companies will stoop to collect it

[Jaymoss]

I am not surprised to find out they are doing it ;-) I am surprised about the software installed though without permission that is snide from both sides. I only had this TV a couple of weeks

[Taf]

A neighbour had a Sony TV that turned off the screen if you left the room, or even closed your eyes for a while. A camera must have been involved somehow.

[Jaymoss]

Originally Posted by Taf

A neighbour had a Sony TV that turned off the screen if you left the room, or even closed your eyes for a while. A camera must have been involved somehow.

see that is a cool feature. I like Smart devices I am soon going to be adding radar proximity sensors. Difference is I know what I am adding and I know Bezos watches us poop but I accept that for what I get out of it . But it is the backhanded way they have done this. Anyway as said I am sorted now and my TVs offline

[Carth]

We (well, she who must be obeyed) still have an old Panasonic 37" plasma, nothing smart about it at all . . still works fine, colours are great, she's happy and I rarely watch it.

The VM box seems to be clever though.