LG Smart TVs Accused of Continuous Surveillance Through Built-In Tracking

Security researchers have documented what they describe as a systematic surveillance capability built into millions of LG smart televisions worldwide. An investigation conducted by Gamers Nexus in partnership with Level1Techs and independent security researchers examined retail LG internet-connected TVs and found that their Automatic Content Recognition systems—technology designed to identify what people watch for targeted advertising—operate far more intrusively than most owners understand.

The ACR systems in these TVs collect information continuously, the researchers found, and can do so even when the television appears to be powered down or has been disconnected from the internet entirely. The TVs record audio through built-in microphones, capture video samples to identify content, and gather data about nearby devices on Wi-Fi networks. This includes the names of connected devices, nearby network names, user location, and IP addresses. The researchers demonstrated that a compromised TV could store audio recordings locally while offline, then transmit them once reconnected to a network.

The scope of this data collection became apparent when the researchers compared LG's public claims about its installed base with the actual reach of its data collection systems. LG states it has approximately 216 million televisions in use globally. Yet the company's advertising platform, LG Ad Solutions, claims access to data from 363 million secondary devices—a gap the researchers suggest points to the breadth of information being harvested from households beyond the televisions themselves. The researchers titled their investigation "216,000,000 Spy TVs," a reference to this discrepancy and a direct statement about what they believe these devices represent.

LG executives have made public statements that underscore the company's view of its position in the home. The company has said it "owns the living room" and "owns the glass"—the television itself. One executive was quoted saying the company knows who lives in LG households and what devices are present there. This data becomes a commodity through LG Ad Solutions, which allows advertisers to target audiences based on viewing habits, content preferences, purchase behavior, device type, and location. The company describes this as the "future of TV advertising."

Beyond the data collection itself, the researchers identified several security vulnerabilities in LG televisions that compound the privacy risk. One vulnerability allows remote code execution—meaning an attacker could potentially take control of aspects of the TV's operation. Another vulnerability could be exploited to gain access to the TV's network and retrieve recordings the device has made. These vulnerabilities are being addressed through responsible disclosure processes, but their existence means that the surveillance capability built into these TVs could be weaponized by bad actors beyond LG itself.

Users who wish to limit this tracking can disable the relevant ACR functionality by navigating to Settings, then General, then System, then Advanced Settings, and finally Live Plus. However, this option is not prominently advertised, and the default setting leaves the tracking active. LG did not respond to requests for comment on the investigation.

The findings add to a broader pattern of scrutiny around smart devices and their data collection practices. Last year, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that its Siri voice assistant had been eavesdropping on users through accidental activations, with confidential recordings being shared with third parties without consent. The LG investigation suggests that such concerns extend across the smart home ecosystem, and that the television—a device that sits in the center of many living rooms—may be collecting far more than anyone watching it realizes.