6 ms·

LG enabled tracking without my consent. I have an LG C8 OLED. I wanted the convenience of a smart TV without being tracked so I carefully went through every se

LG enabled tracking without my consent. I have an LG C8 OLED. I wanted the convenience of a smart TV without being tracked so I carefully went through every setting and turned it all off. I followed an article detailing what all the tracking settings were, how to disable them, etc. I deliberately disabled all tracking options years ago. Imagine my surprise a couple of weeks back when I looked in the settings. All of it was magically enabled again. Personalised ads, screen recognition, you name it, all switched on. How long for is anyones guess. My trust for smart TVs is at an all time low.

autoexec 4y ago
This isn't limited to smart TVs. Every internet enabled device can do the same thing. When you allow someone other than yourself to remotely access and modify the software running on your devices they stop being "your" devices and companies will happily disregard your stated preferences and make whatever changes are beneficial for them. The only way to have any control at all over your devices is to make sure that nobody else is able to modify them without your consent. Keeping our devices offline isn't always possible. Our computers and phones typically depend on internet access to stay useful, but you can at least make sure your TV is never connected to the internet.
filoleg 4y ago
LG C1 OLED here, and my setup is rather simple and has been going just fine with zero issues for over a year now (with no update requests or anything like that). I set it up normally at first, but software updates and such were annoying. LG TV has been connected to my router using wifi, so I simply clicked the "block internet connection for this device" in my router settings, and that was the end of my issues. As for how I deal with outdated apps and such on the smart tv, I have never used them in the first place. AppleTV has been hooked to the LG TV the entire time, and all apps are used from the AppleTV side. Haven't had a single "update your tv software" dialogue even once since then.
- agartner 4y ago
  I personally just blocked all the lg domains in AdGuard. That way I can keep using the apps. With full internet access the tv takes significantly longer to load and navigate.
deafpolygon 4y ago
It probably gets reset when it loses wall power. My TV resets some of the settings every time, I have to go back and edit it - it's very annoying. Sony Bravia.
- nerdawson 4y ago
  Yeah, that'd be my guess too. Either that or an update. Regardless it's convenient that it forgets my tracking preferences, defaults to the most permissive options possible, and doesn't forget all my other settings.
  - bonzini 4y ago
    That would be very much illegal under the GDPR.
    - nerdawson 4y ago
      I wonder how widespread the phenomenon is. I'm based in the UK and those are my thoughts exactly.
- justsomehnguy 4y ago
  Of only the humanity could invent something what could store the settings even in absrnse of power. Maybe it could be called like a non-volatile random acess memory, or something like that.
jupp0r 4y ago
Why do you have it connected to the internet? Will it not work without?
- nerdawson 4y ago
  Convenience. I want to use the built in apps for Netflix, YouTube, etc. LG gave me the option of being tracked. I declined. That’s the only thing that should matter.
  - nightski 4y ago
    I mean, using services such as those you are being tracked extensively anyways, it's pretty much unavoidable. I just never accepted the terms on my LG and use a Roku instead, although I'm not sure it is much better. But the interface is a lot cleaner.
    - oarsinsync 4y ago
      > I mean, using services such as those you are being tracked extensively anyways, it's pretty much unavoidable. Consenting (possibly under duress) to one thing is not the same as consenting to all things. You might consent to doing various intimate things with a significant other. That doesn’t make you a free for all buffet for everyone else.
      - Melatonic 4y ago
        NextDNS seems to do a pretty good job of blocking Roku crap as well ( I have yet to see a single ad on my Roku)
    - criddell 4y ago
      Go into your Roku privacy settings and you can disable some of their tracking. For example, Roku sends back two screenshots per second of what you are watching. https://advertising.roku.com/resources/blog/insights-analysis/acr-the-future-of-tv-and-audience-data https://advertising.roku.com/resources/blog/insights-analysi...
gloryjulio 4y ago
Thats why I use a cheap external box. Doestnt matter whether its firetv, appletv, chromecasr or anything. Unplug the power when u r done watching. Its so easy this way.
- autoexec 4y ago
  You just have to be aware of what your external boxes are collecting. Roku for example takes multiple 4k screenshots every second and uploads them to their servers to analyze so that they can see and track what you're watching and when. I'd assume firetv, appletv, even the PS5 I use to watch streaming services on my TV is doing basically the same thing.
  - gloryjulio 4y ago
    That's unavoidable. Unfortunately to watch 4k hdr videos you have to use some tv boxes. You can't do it on pc. By physically limiting the tv box usage, they only have the data just about the video that I am watching with. I guess that's fine
    - gruez 4y ago
      >Unfortunately to watch 4k hdr videos you have to use some tv boxes. You can't do it on pc. Really? I thought there was some weird hardware requirements (eg. compatible cpu and gpu)[1][2], but otherwise worked fine? [1] https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23931 https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23931 [2] https://help.netflix.com/en/node/55764 https://help.netflix.com/en/node/55764
      - gloryjulio 4y ago
        Not for Amazon videos at least
  - eddyg 4y ago
    Not Apple TV... https://www.screentimes.net/article/apple-tv-doesnt-share-your-viewing-data-your-smart-tv-likely-does https://www.screentimes.net/article/apple-tv-doesnt-share-yo...
spike021 4y ago
I've had an LG C2 OLED for almost a month. Turned off all those settings. So far so good, but will be keeping an eye out. Before this TV I just used a first gen 4k Apple TV, but I noticed it was a bit stuttery and didn't support as many formats so I've been using the native TV apps. Maybe I rushed too quickly on that.

autoexec 4y ago

This isn't limited to smart TVs. Every internet enabled device can do the same thing. When you allow someone other than yourself to remotely access and modify the software running on your devices they stop being "your" devices and companies will happily disregard your stated preferences and make whatever changes are beneficial for them. The only way to have any control at all over your devices is to make sure that nobody else is able to modify them without your consent. Keeping our devices offline isn't always possible. Our computers and phones typically depend on internet access to stay useful, but you can at least make sure your TV is never connected to the internet.

filoleg 4y ago

LG C1 OLED here, and my setup is rather simple and has been going just fine with zero issues for over a year now (with no update requests or anything like that). I set it up normally at first, but software updates and such were annoying. LG TV has been connected to my router using wifi, so I simply clicked the "block internet connection for this device" in my router settings, and that was the end of my issues. As for how I deal with outdated apps and such on the smart tv, I have never used them in the first place. AppleTV has been hooked to the LG TV the entire time, and all apps are used from the AppleTV side. Haven't had a single "update your tv software" dialogue even once since then.

agartner 4y ago
I personally just blocked all the lg domains in AdGuard. That way I can keep using the apps. With full internet access the tv takes significantly longer to load and navigate.

deafpolygon 4y ago

It probably gets reset when it loses wall power. My TV resets some of the settings every time, I have to go back and edit it - it's very annoying. Sony Bravia.

nerdawson 4y ago
Yeah, that'd be my guess too. Either that or an update. Regardless it's convenient that it forgets my tracking preferences, defaults to the most permissive options possible, and doesn't forget all my other settings.
- bonzini 4y ago
  That would be very much illegal under the GDPR.
  - nerdawson 4y ago
    I wonder how widespread the phenomenon is. I'm based in the UK and those are my thoughts exactly.
justsomehnguy 4y ago
Of only the humanity could invent something what could store the settings even in absrnse of power. Maybe it could be called like a non-volatile random acess memory, or something like that.

jupp0r 4y ago

Why do you have it connected to the internet? Will it not work without?

nerdawson 4y ago
Convenience. I want to use the built in apps for Netflix, YouTube, etc. LG gave me the option of being tracked. I declined. That’s the only thing that should matter.
- nightski 4y ago
  I mean, using services such as those you are being tracked extensively anyways, it's pretty much unavoidable. I just never accepted the terms on my LG and use a Roku instead, although I'm not sure it is much better. But the interface is a lot cleaner.
  - oarsinsync 4y ago
    > I mean, using services such as those you are being tracked extensively anyways, it's pretty much unavoidable. Consenting (possibly under duress) to one thing is not the same as consenting to all things. You might consent to doing various intimate things with a significant other. That doesn’t make you a free for all buffet for everyone else.
    - Melatonic 4y ago
      NextDNS seems to do a pretty good job of blocking Roku crap as well ( I have yet to see a single ad on my Roku)
  - criddell 4y ago
    Go into your Roku privacy settings and you can disable some of their tracking. For example, Roku sends back two screenshots per second of what you are watching. https://advertising.roku.com/resources/blog/insights-analysis/acr-the-future-of-tv-and-audience-data https://advertising.roku.com/resources/blog/insights-analysi...

gloryjulio 4y ago

Thats why I use a cheap external box. Doestnt matter whether its firetv, appletv, chromecasr or anything. Unplug the power when u r done watching. Its so easy this way.

autoexec 4y ago
You just have to be aware of what your external boxes are collecting. Roku for example takes multiple 4k screenshots every second and uploads them to their servers to analyze so that they can see and track what you're watching and when. I'd assume firetv, appletv, even the PS5 I use to watch streaming services on my TV is doing basically the same thing.
- gloryjulio 4y ago
  That's unavoidable. Unfortunately to watch 4k hdr videos you have to use some tv boxes. You can't do it on pc. By physically limiting the tv box usage, they only have the data just about the video that I am watching with. I guess that's fine
  - gruez 4y ago
    >Unfortunately to watch 4k hdr videos you have to use some tv boxes. You can't do it on pc. Really? I thought there was some weird hardware requirements (eg. compatible cpu and gpu)[1][2], but otherwise worked fine? [1] https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23931 https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23931 [2] https://help.netflix.com/en/node/55764 https://help.netflix.com/en/node/55764
    - gloryjulio 4y ago
      Not for Amazon videos at least
- eddyg 4y ago
  Not Apple TV... https://www.screentimes.net/article/apple-tv-doesnt-share-your-viewing-data-your-smart-tv-likely-does https://www.screentimes.net/article/apple-tv-doesnt-share-yo...

spike021 4y ago

I've had an LG C2 OLED for almost a month. Turned off all those settings. So far so good, but will be keeping an eye out. Before this TV I just used a first gen 4k Apple TV, but I noticed it was a bit stuttery and didn't support as many formats so I've been using the native TV apps. Maybe I rushed too quickly on that.