Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced lawsuits yesterday against five major television manufacturers, accusing them of using smart TVs to secretly collect personal data without user consent. The companies targeted in these lawsuits include Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense, and TCL.
The lawsuits allege that these companies employ Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology, which Paxton's office describes as 'an uninvited, invisible digital invader.' According to a press release, ACR can capture screenshots from a viewer's television display at intervals of every 500 milliseconds, track viewing habits in real time, and relay this data back to the manufacturers. This information is then allegedly sold for targeted advertising purposes, putting users' privacy and sensitive information at risk.
The state of Texas claims these practices violate the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit seeks to impose damages of up to $10,000 per violation, with increased penalties of up to $250,000 for violations affecting individuals aged 65 and older. Additionally, the state is requesting restraining orders to halt the collection, distribution, and sale of ACR data while the case is ongoing.
Texas argues that while some companies justify this data collection with the provision of personalized content and targeted ads, the scale of data harvesting significantly exceeds what is necessary, concerned only with boosting advertisement revenue.
Concerns over privacy and smart TVs are not unique to this case. The Center for Digital Democracy revealed similar issues in a report last year, stating that modern connected TVs often have surveillance features integrated directly, making manufacturers central figures in data collection and digital marketing.
For those looking to protect their privacy, a recently published guide offers advice on minimizing exposure to smart TV ads and tracking.