LG accused of tracking its smart TV users, scanning home networks, and recording conversations

[onebignerd]

DUH! You don't get inexpensive things connected to the web, without giving up your privacy.
Heck, privacy went away a LONG time ago, when you first setup your first windows computer
back in the day, and clicked YES on the TOS.

You consider a $1,200 - $5,000 price range to be "inexpensive things?" Congrats on being wealthy, but majority of us are NOT!!

 

[toooooot]

I had to connect my Samsung TV and set up an account in order to set it up. Should have boxed it up and returned it right then.

What model was it? I have Oled 90d bought few months ago. I do not remember setting up anything.
Although, I just connected my firestick 4k that I kept after selling the old TV.

 

[subnex]

I used to enjoy webos on my LG TV. Until at some point 5 or 6 years ago there was an update which pushed a new uela in my face. I had to accept tracking and data collection to continue using my TV. I could not revert the update. I disconnected the internet and my LG has been a perfect dumb TV ever since.

 

[stewi0001]

Which is the reason I have a dumb TV. No doorbell camera, (I do have a camera, but no cloud service) or a smart anything appliance... Some times it pays to be smarter than inanimate objects.

It has become harder to find a dumb TV these days. Most retailers are only carrying "smart" TVs

 

[Athlonite69]

DUH! You don't get inexpensive things connected to the web, without giving up your privacy.
Heck, privacy went away a LONG time ago, when you first setup your first windows computer
back in the day, and clicked YES on the TOS.

The problem with that is that the TV that GN was using cost $3700USD so not a cheep TV costing under a grand I suggest you go watch the YT video if you haven't already it's quite shocking just how many thing in and on it record you even when the TV is off

 

[Win7user]

Do they still make those?

Of course they do. I watch Digital TV with my air-antenna. Get about 60 channels. Its plenty of TV for me. And its all FREE. TV stations and other programming use digital signals. So they're will always be dumb TVs...

 

[Win7user]

It has become harder to find a dumb TV these days. Most retailers are only carrying "smart" TVs

You're the second person who has said that. There are plenty of dump TV's you can buy. I just looked, there are plenty.

 

[mbrowne5061]

Every wifi router from every internet provider today defaults to requiring passwords. It's not 2005 anymore, you have to jump through multiple hoops to get a non protected wifi network.

I havent seen one on any of my devices in years, other then local ones from HP printers or the like, which have no network connectivity. So if LG wants to forward that info to my neighbors HP printer, have at it, but there's no internet there.

There are three unsecured networks just around my house.

Plenty of people are *****s who struggle to get anything onto their WiFi, so either they or their kids, simply turn off the password requirements "to make things easier". Typically, it seems to be the latter: someone has elderly parents that cannot figure out WiFi beyond "click on the right network name", but gets cranky without whatever their digital consumption of choice is, so their kids just turn off the WifFi password to reduce the number of """critical""" tech support calls they need to field.