"claiming they've been "unlawfully collecting personal data [by] secretly recording what consumers watch in their own homes." The companies leverage a lesser-known technology called Automated Content Recognition (ACR), which is built in to the TVs. ACR has been around for years, and has attracted scrutiny before, because it's a way for manufacturers to collect data about your TV usage and serve up targeted ads."
"In 2017, Vizio was fined $2.2 million for using ACR without consumer consent. The ACR usage continues today and can be tucked away in a TV's privacy policy or settings, which Paxton is now criticizing as duplicitous. "Disclosures are hidden, vague, and misleading. The company collects far more data than necessary to make the TV work," his lawsuit against the TV makers argues. "Consumers are stripped of real choice and kept in the dark about what's happening in their own homes.""
Texas filed a lawsuit against LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL, and Hisense, alleging built-in Automated Content Recognition (ACR) routinely captures screenshots and collects viewing data without meaningful consumer consent. The complaint describes ACR as invasive, deceptive, and unlawful, and claims disclosures are hidden, vague, and misleading, stripping consumers of real choice. A 2017 Vizio fine for ACR misuse is cited, and a recent study found LG and Samsung TVs regularly send ACR data to company servers. The suit characterizes top manufacturers' TVs as mass surveillance systems that gather more data than necessary to display content.
Read at PCMAG
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