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Spoiler: this is Ars Technica. Obviously they suggest you to instead get an Apple TV so that you send your data to Apple and watch Apple ads instead (with the o

Spoiler: this is Ars Technica. Obviously they suggest you to instead get an Apple TV so that you send your data to Apple and watch Apple ads instead (with the only argument being that "so far they do less ads").

flux3125 10mo ago
Funny how the article itself is an ad
- karmakaze 10mo ago
  AdsTechnica now.
shlip 10mo ago
Yup, from the Apple TV article linked in the article[1]: > According to its privacy policy, the company gathers usage data, such as “data about your activity on and use of” Apple offerings, including “app launches within our services…; browsing history; search history; [and] product interaction.” [...] transaction information, account information (“including email address, devices registered, account status, and age”), device information (including serial number and browser type), contact information (including physical address and phone number), and payment information (including bank details). Yeah, sure, that's privacy, Ars. [1]https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/all-the-ways-apple-tv-boxes-do-and-mostly-dont-track-you/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/all-the-ways-apple-t...
- raw_anon_1111 10mo ago
  Let’s see where to start? 1. Email address - you have to use an email address to have an Apple account. How are they not going to have your email? 2. Devices registered - you mean when you log into your device, they keep track of your logged in devices! 3. Transaction history - they keep track of what you bought from them! Must I continue? Every single piece of data that you named is required to do business with them.
  - AshamedCaptain 10mo ago
    Every series you've ever watched with the Apple TV -- of course, they keep track of what you watched with them! (/s).
    - raw_anon_1111 10mo ago
      It would be a horrible user experience if it didn’t keep track of the series I’ve watched and where I was in shows so I could pick up and watch where I left off on a different device. This isn’t the iPod days where you would sync your watch history with iTunes.
      - AshamedCaptain 10mo ago
        The entire point of the remark is that you can throw these pseudo-justifications for any and all forms of tracking, since "tracking all the shows you watch" is precisely the issue that motivates TFA. At the end of the day, they could be taking screenshots of everything you do with your TV and argue it's because of some AI system that will allow you to more easily launch whatever it is you normally do at that time of the day. If you do not see any issue with that, why would you be on this thread?
        raw_anon_1111 10mo ago
        No the justification for the article is TVs that track your watching no matter what you watching and selling it to advertisers. Apple tracks what you are watching on AppleTV only. I’m on this thread because I understand technology. Are you saying that if you are watching something like “South Park” you wouldn’t want the service that you are watching it on to keep track of where you are in its 25 season run?
        AshamedCaptain 10mo ago
        > Apple tracks what you are watching on AppleTV only. So the solution they propose to TVs that track what you're watching is to switch to AppleTV where Apple will track what you're watching? And you still justify this somehow?
- hopelite 10mo ago
  The only way to have privacy from the matrix is to not participate in the matrix. That’s in fact your best option. Does one have to consume the drug of movies/tv? I realize that just suggesting something coming in between the addict and their drug causes consternation, but that also makes the point more salient.
gear54rus 10mo ago
At least we can gather and post an actual solution in the top comment.
ralfd 10mo ago
> Obviously they suggest you to instead get an Apple TV I did the same last year though when I couldn’t find a good non-smart tv. Even if you don’t like the advice it is a practical solution for normies.
- drnick1 10mo ago
  The Apple TV box does not have a microphone and a camera, but beyond that there is absolutely no reason to think it's any more private than a "smart" TV.
  - encom 10mo ago
    There's a microphone in the remote control.
  - nickthegreek 10mo ago
    you can see no privacy differences between an appletv and a roku or fire stick?
hapticmonkey 10mo ago
There are no ads in the AppleTV operating system itself. The only Apple “ads” I ever see are inside the Apple TV+ app (yeah, their naming is confusing…) and it’s only for TV shows they’re promoting in their streaming service.
- 0ld 10mo ago
  Apple TV is a huge Apple TV+ ad in itself. I shelved my device when my 2yo had "subscribed" to Apple TV+ by just randomly clicking around
  - hx833001 10mo ago
    An alternative is to just turn off the ability to purchase anything without entering your password each time in settings.
- systemtest 10mo ago
  I installed an AppleTV recently, so I don't have much experience. But the first thing I saw after the initial setup was one/third of the display advertising a TV-show on a subscription service I had to purchase. Would that count as an ad?
  - expensive_news 10mo ago
    On the Apple TV you get ‘ads’ for the apps you have in your top row, with different levels of interactivity. Some are just logos of that streaming service, some show recently watched. The Apple TV app has full-blown ads for Apple TV+ originals. They won’t actually let you delete the Apple TV app, but if you move it out of the top row you will never see the ads. My parents have an Amazon Fire TV and when I go to their house and have to use it it drives me insane. Carousels of adds large at the top, banner ads as you scroll, full rows of sponsored apps. Full screen ads for random Amazon products when you pause any show you are watching. Everything you watch on Amazon’s streaming service has minute long unskippable ads. Sometimes when you turn it on Alexa will just verbally read you ads. It’s truly a dystopian piece of tech.
  - 10mo ago
ThatMedicIsASpy 10mo ago
A box that can't run Kodi would never be my choice.
- simonmales 10mo ago
  Started on this with OpenELEC. Nowadays LibreELEC. Just feels the best that it's not a commercial product, rather a project built by cool people.

flux3125 10mo ago

Funny how the article itself is an ad

karmakaze 10mo ago
AdsTechnica now.

shlip 10mo ago

Yup, from the Apple TV article linked in the article[1]: > According to its privacy policy, the company gathers usage data, such as “data about your activity on and use of” Apple offerings, including “app launches within our services…; browsing history; search history; [and] product interaction.” [...] transaction information, account information (“including email address, devices registered, account status, and age”), device information (including serial number and browser type), contact information (including physical address and phone number), and payment information (including bank details). Yeah, sure, that's privacy, Ars. [1]https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/all-the-ways-apple-tv-boxes-do-and-mostly-dont-track-you/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/all-the-ways-apple-t...

raw_anon_1111 10mo ago
Let’s see where to start? 1. Email address - you have to use an email address to have an Apple account. How are they not going to have your email? 2. Devices registered - you mean when you log into your device, they keep track of your logged in devices! 3. Transaction history - they keep track of what you bought from them! Must I continue? Every single piece of data that you named is required to do business with them.
- AshamedCaptain 10mo ago
  Every series you've ever watched with the Apple TV -- of course, they keep track of what you watched with them! (/s).
  - raw_anon_1111 10mo ago
    It would be a horrible user experience if it didn’t keep track of the series I’ve watched and where I was in shows so I could pick up and watch where I left off on a different device. This isn’t the iPod days where you would sync your watch history with iTunes.
    - AshamedCaptain 10mo ago
      The entire point of the remark is that you can throw these pseudo-justifications for any and all forms of tracking, since "tracking all the shows you watch" is precisely the issue that motivates TFA. At the end of the day, they could be taking screenshots of everything you do with your TV and argue it's because of some AI system that will allow you to more easily launch whatever it is you normally do at that time of the day. If you do not see any issue with that, why would you be on this thread?
      - raw_anon_1111 10mo ago
        No the justification for the article is TVs that track your watching no matter what you watching and selling it to advertisers. Apple tracks what you are watching on AppleTV only. I’m on this thread because I understand technology. Are you saying that if you are watching something like “South Park” you wouldn’t want the service that you are watching it on to keep track of where you are in its 25 season run?
        AshamedCaptain 10mo ago
        > Apple tracks what you are watching on AppleTV only. So the solution they propose to TVs that track what you're watching is to switch to AppleTV where Apple will track what you're watching? And you still justify this somehow?
hopelite 10mo ago
The only way to have privacy from the matrix is to not participate in the matrix. That’s in fact your best option. Does one have to consume the drug of movies/tv? I realize that just suggesting something coming in between the addict and their drug causes consternation, but that also makes the point more salient.

gear54rus 10mo ago

At least we can gather and post an actual solution in the top comment.

ralfd 10mo ago

> Obviously they suggest you to instead get an Apple TV I did the same last year though when I couldn’t find a good non-smart tv. Even if you don’t like the advice it is a practical solution for normies.

drnick1 10mo ago
The Apple TV box does not have a microphone and a camera, but beyond that there is absolutely no reason to think it's any more private than a "smart" TV.
- encom 10mo ago
  There's a microphone in the remote control.
- nickthegreek 10mo ago
  you can see no privacy differences between an appletv and a roku or fire stick?

hapticmonkey 10mo ago

There are no ads in the AppleTV operating system itself. The only Apple “ads” I ever see are inside the Apple TV+ app (yeah, their naming is confusing…) and it’s only for TV shows they’re promoting in their streaming service.

0ld 10mo ago
Apple TV is a huge Apple TV+ ad in itself. I shelved my device when my 2yo had "subscribed" to Apple TV+ by just randomly clicking around
- hx833001 10mo ago
  An alternative is to just turn off the ability to purchase anything without entering your password each time in settings.
systemtest 10mo ago
I installed an AppleTV recently, so I don't have much experience. But the first thing I saw after the initial setup was one/third of the display advertising a TV-show on a subscription service I had to purchase. Would that count as an ad?
- expensive_news 10mo ago
  On the Apple TV you get ‘ads’ for the apps you have in your top row, with different levels of interactivity. Some are just logos of that streaming service, some show recently watched. The Apple TV app has full-blown ads for Apple TV+ originals. They won’t actually let you delete the Apple TV app, but if you move it out of the top row you will never see the ads. My parents have an Amazon Fire TV and when I go to their house and have to use it it drives me insane. Carousels of adds large at the top, banner ads as you scroll, full rows of sponsored apps. Full screen ads for random Amazon products when you pause any show you are watching. Everything you watch on Amazon’s streaming service has minute long unskippable ads. Sometimes when you turn it on Alexa will just verbally read you ads. It’s truly a dystopian piece of tech.
- 10mo ago

ThatMedicIsASpy 10mo ago

A box that can't run Kodi would never be my choice.

simonmales 10mo ago
Started on this with OpenELEC. Nowadays LibreELEC. Just feels the best that it's not a commercial product, rather a project built by cool people.