Many smart TVs secretly take screenshots of the screen, according to a recent study. What you should know and how you can turn off the function.
An international team of researchers from London, Madrid and the USA has revealed that popular smart TV models take screenshots of the screen several times per second and send them to manufacturers. The study shows that this practice also occurs when users connect external devices such as game consoles or laptops via HDMI.
According to the investigation, at least Samsung and LG devices were affected. The tech portal “t3n” first reported about it.
The manufacturers use the images and audio recordings for what is known as Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). The aim is to analyze user behavior and display targeted advertising based on this. According to the researchers, tracking takes place directly via the smart TV’s operating system and not through third-party providers.
The study found significant differences in the frequency of data collection between the brands studied. Samsung TVs took a screenshot every 500 milliseconds, while LG devices took a screenshot every ten milliseconds. The collected data was sent to a server every minute for Samsung devices and even every 15 seconds for LG.
After all, not all content is affected by this tracking. The researchers found that offers from streaming services such as Netflix and mirrored YouTube videos from smartphones or laptops do not end up on the ACR servers. The situation is different with classic antenna television or when using devices that are connected to the television via HDMI – such as game consoles.
In a statement to “t3n”, Samsung explained that the use of ACR serves to “improve the viewing experience of its users”. The company also emphasized that the data was “collected exclusively via an anonymized identification number” and that no images were stored. LG explained to the portal that LG Ads is responsible for personalized advertising as an independent company.
Consumers have the option to disable ACR tracking in their smart TV’s privacy settings. However, according to the study, this process is complicated and requires enabling or disabling six to eleven different options in the TV settings.
For Samsung devices, the relevant settings can be found under “Support” and “Terms of Use”, where the “Viewing Information Services” can be deactivated. On LG televisions, the ACR function is hidden behind the name “Live Plus”.