LG denies misusing 216,000,000 smart TVs for user surveillance

A recent report accused LG of secretly collecting user data from over 216,000,000 of the manufacturer’s TVs, claiming that the smart TVs eavesdrop on users via their microphones even when turned off, store voice commands in plain text on servers, and even collect data from other devices on the home network and share it with LG. This applies to both entry-level models and high-end OLED smart TVs, such as the LG OLED G5 ($2,199 on Amazon). 

LG has now responded to these allegations in a statement to Tom’s Hardware and, unsurprisingly, denied them. According to LG, its Smart TVs only record audio when either the voice assistant button on the remote control is pressed or "Hi LG" is said after far-field voice recognition has been explicitly activated. Recognition of this keyword is said to be handled locally, meaning the TVs do not listen in around the clock or transmit recordings of all conversations to LG’s servers.

While the TVs do scan for other devices on the local network, LG states that this is standard behavior for all modern smart TVs, regardless of the manufacturer. Content played through connected HDMI devices is only analyzed if the user has enabled personalized ads or content recommendations. LG has not commented on some of the allegations made in the Gamers Nexus report, such as the fact that voice commands are stored unencrypted on the servers.

Furthermore, LG’s official terms of use contradict this statement, at least in part, because anyone using an LG Smart TV must agree to inform all residents and guests that they may be monitored. While LG claims to take the protection of user data seriously, actions such as the automatic installation of bloatware by LG monitors show that this is not always the case. Until more extensive investigations are available, it is recommended to disconnect LG Smart TVs from the internet.