Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a TV set,
That had a feature to collect all the data it could get.
The set was an LG Smart TV, the feature wasn’t on.
LG still spied on you that day —
The feature was a con.
(The feature was a con!)
Oh, we like to have fun around here. But that’s the news in a nutshell: LG’s Smart TVs have been collecting data on users even when the “smart” features have been turned off. This data, including viewing habits, broadcast source, file names, etc., was being beamed back to the mothership’s data centers for probing.
Eventually, an intrepid blogger, one Doctor Beet, discovered that the data mining was going on around the clock and revealed the information he’d been able to gather.
Today, LG released a statement admitting the bug/feature in these TVs and promised a firmware update to correct the issue. The company also said it wasn’t collecting any personal data, only viewing data.
If we were gullible infants, we’d be totally on board for this explanation.
Here’s more from the statement:
“Information such as channel, TV platform, broadcast source, etc. that is collected by certain LG Smart TVs is not personal but viewing information. This information is collected as part of the Smart TV platform to deliver more relevant advertisements and to offer recommendations to viewers based on what other LG Smart TV owners are watching.
“We have verified that even when this function is turned off by the viewers, it continues to transmit viewing information although the data is not retained by the server. A firmware update is being prepared for immediate rollout that will correct this problem on all affected LG Smart TVs so when this feature is disabled, no data will be transmitted.”
How convenient that LG had no idea this was happening until Doc Beet brought the issue to light! And how beautifully timed is this firmware fix?
What a total load of malarkey. At least, that’s our take on it. What’s yours?
Take the one-question poll below and let us know whether you think LG’s explanation is legit or bull… mess.
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