A new investigation into LG smart televisions has raised serious privacy concerns after researchers reported that some LG TVs can scan devices on a home network, collect viewing information and capture microphone audio even when the television appears to be switched off or is disconnected from the internet.
The findings came from a roughly two-hour investigation by Gamers Nexus, working with Level1Techs and independent security researchers. The team used network analysis tools including Wireshark and examined retail LG OLED televisions, including the OLED G5.
Your TV may know more about your home than you think
One of the most striking findings concerned the television's ability to scan the local network.
Researchers said LG TVs were able to identify other devices connected to the same network, including smartphones, computers and smartwatches. They also reported that the TVs could identify information about nearby Wi-Fi networks, including network names and signal characteristics.
LG acknowledges that its televisions can scan networks, but says this functionality exists to support legitimate features such as connecting to compatible devices, content sharing and smart-home functions.
The company described network scanning as a standard feature of smart TVs and other connected devices.
The controversy is therefore not simply that the TV can see other devices.
It is what information is collected, why it is collected, how long it is retained and who ultimately receives it.
The microphone allegation is even more troubling
The investigation also reported that researchers were able to capture microphone audio while an LG television appeared to be in standby.
More controversially, the researchers said the TV could continue storing audio locally after its internet connection had been removed, with the data potentially being transmitted after connectivity was restored.
That is an important distinction.
The allegation is not necessarily that an LG television is continuously streaming everything it hears to LG's servers while offline.
Rather, researchers say certain audio could be captured and stored locally, creating the possibility that it could later leave the device when the television reconnects to the internet.
That finding has obvious implications for conversations taking place in bedrooms, living rooms, home offices and other private spaces.
LG strongly denies secretly recording conversations
LG has pushed back forcefully against the investigation.
The company says its TVs process voice data only when voice functionality has been deliberately activated — for example, when the remote's voice button is pressed or when a user has enabled far-field voice recognition and the appropriate wake word is detected.
LG says that without activation, ambient conversations are not collected, recorded or transmitted. It also says wake-word processing takes place locally and is promptly deleted when the wake word is not detected.
LG also disputes the characterization of its Automatic Content Recognition system and says ACR is an opt-in feature.
So there is currently a significant disagreement:
Researchers say their testing demonstrates capabilities that create serious privacy risks. LG says the conclusions being drawn from those capabilities are false and do not reflect how the company's systems operate under intended conditions.
That distinction needs to be preserved.
Then there is ACR — the TV that knows what you're watching
Another major issue is Automatic Content Recognition (ACR).
ACR is not unique to LG. Smart-TV manufacturers commonly use similar technologies to identify what viewers are watching and build data that can be used for recommendations, analytics and advertising.
The Gamers Nexus investigation reported that LG's system could identify content coming through multiple inputs, including HDMI and other connections.
That means the television doesn't necessarily need to know that you're watching something through the TV's own streaming applications.
The content appearing on the screen can itself become data.
And that creates a fundamental question about modern televisions:
When did a television stop being merely a screen and become a sensor inside your home?
The business model behind the smart-TV revolution
There is an economic reason this matters.
Television hardware is increasingly connected to an advertising ecosystem.
LG operates LG Ad Solutions, a business built around connected-TV advertising and audience data. Researchers investigating LG's ecosystem argue that information about viewing behaviour and connected devices can contribute to advertising profiles.
This does not mean every piece of information collected by an LG television is automatically being sold to advertisers.
But it highlights a much larger transformation in consumer electronics.
The television you buy once generated revenue for its manufacturer primarily when you purchased it.
The connected television can potentially generate additional economic value after you take it home.
Your viewing habits become data.
Your household's connected devices can become data.
Your interactions with the television can become data.
And potentially, your environment becomes part of the data ecosystem.
The uncomfortable question: what happens when the TV is “off”?
This may be the most important part of the controversy.
Consumers generally understand that an internet-connected television can communicate with external servers.
But many people intuitively assume that when the screen goes black, the device has stopped doing anything meaningful.
Modern standby systems complicate that assumption.
A television can remain powered sufficiently to listen for a wake command, maintain network functions, receive updates or perform other background operations.
LG itself acknowledges that certain voice functionality can remain active in standby when users have enabled the relevant feature.
The controversy is therefore not simply about whether an electronic device can technically operate while the screen is off.
It is about whether consumers understand exactly what remains active when they think they have turned the television off.
And there may be a cybersecurity problem too
The investigation reportedly identified vulnerabilities in LG's webOS platform that could potentially allow attackers to execute code remotely.
Researchers have not publicly disclosed the technical details because the vulnerabilities are reportedly going through responsible disclosure processes.
This is where privacy and cybersecurity intersect.
A smart television isn't just an entertainment device anymore.
It can have:
- A microphone
- Network access
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Access to other devices
- Software capable of receiving updates
- Persistent storage
- User accounts
- Streaming credentials
- Information about viewing behaviour
Put all of that together and the television becomes another computer sitting inside the home.
Except many consumers don't treat it like one.
This isn't only an LG problem
It would be misleading to turn this into a story about one company alone.
ACR and connected-TV tracking are widespread across the smart-TV industry.
The broader issue is the business model surrounding connected consumer electronics.
Televisions, speakers, phones, cars, watches and even appliances are increasingly becoming data-generating devices.
The question consumers need to ask is no longer simply:
“What can this device do?”
It is:
“What does this device know about me, and where does that information go?”
What LG owners can do
Users concerned about privacy can review their television's privacy, advertising, voice-control and ACR settings.
Reports on LG's webOS interface indicate that disabling features such as Live Plus/ACR, hands-free voice functions and certain advertising/tracking options can reduce data collection. Another option is to keep the television off the home network and use a separate streaming device.
However, menus and options vary by model and webOS version, so users should check their particular television rather than assume one setting applies universally.
The bigger lesson
The LG controversy should force a broader conversation about digital privacy inside the home.
For years, consumers worried about websites tracking them.
Then smartphones began tracking them.
Now increasingly, the objects inside their homes can potentially become sensors.
The television sitting silently in the corner can know what you watch, communicate with other devices and — depending on the model and enabled functionality — interact with microphones, networks and cloud services.
That doesn't automatically make the device malicious.
But it does make transparency essential.
A television should not become a surveillance device by default simply because a consumer wanted to watch football, Netflix or YouTube.
And if companies are going to turn household electronics into advertising and data platforms, consumers deserve to know exactly what they are agreeing to.
The real issue isn't whether smart TVs are smart. It's whether consumers still have meaningful control over what their “smart” devices know about their private lives.*
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