LG TVs and monitors said to surveil users and install bloatware without asking
LG Smart TV users have been voicing concerns regarding the lack of privacy protection for years, because in order to use many features of an LG Smart TV, users must inevitably agree to grant LG access to certain data. The current Terms of Service further exacerbate this situation dramatically, as LG reserves the right to record and analyze conversations in order to "improve" AI services.
According to the Terms of Service, it is the user’s responsibility to ensure that no wiretapping, surveillance, or data protection laws are violated; the user must inform all guests and family members that they are currently being recorded. If anyone objects, all microphone and voice related features on the smart TV must be disabled. Furthermore, agreeing to the Terms of Use allows LG to monitor a product’s usage and share this data with third parties.
To bypass these latest terms of use on older smart TVs, you can simply choose not to install new webOS updates. However, in that case, the smart TV will no longer receive security patches. As an investigation by Gamers Nexus using an LG UltraGear 34GX900A-B ($699 on Amazon) shows, there are similar privacy concerns when using newer LG UltraGear and UltraFine monitors.
This is because as soon as a monitor is connected to a Windows computer, it automatically installs both the LG Monitor App Installer and McAfee Scam Detector without ever asking the user for permission. According to its own documentation, the LG Monitor App Installer has full access to "all system resources" and collects data on the user’s location, hardware, online activity, account logins, and contact information. According to Gamers Nexus, this affects not only new monitors but also some slightly older models following a firmware update.
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