> just a smart TV where the online bit is a removable stick on the back You're absolutely right. And I've personally capitulate to this reality... The way tha

> just a smart TV where the online bit is a removable stick on the back You're absolutely right. And I've personally capitulate to this reality... The way that I see it is that there is really no way around this problem except through disconnected-media, over-the-air or homebrew/hacker/open-source solutions. None of these completely satisfy my media cravings. So however foolish it may be, I still go with the "stick on the back" approach despite their appetite for all my information, because I still trust Apple, Google, Amazon... WAY more than all of these mysterious IPs pointing back to somewhere in Shenzhen.