Texas AG: Sony, Samsung, Other Major TV Companies Spy on Consumers
Texas sued five TV companies for spying on consumers and recording what they watch, the state attorney general's office said Monday. Two of the companies are headquartered in China, which raises additional data-harvesting concerns, Texas AG Ken Paxton (R) said.
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Paxton filed the complaints in state court against Sony, Samsung and LG, as well as China-based Hisense and TCL. Sony is based in Japan, while Samsung and LG are South Korean firms.
Texas claimed that the companies use automated content recognition (ACR) technology to unlawfully collect personal data. The software can capture screenshots of TV displays in real time and transmit that information -- without user knowledge or consent -- back to the company. The data is then sold for use in targeted advertising, Paxton said. ACR puts “users’ privacy and sensitive information, such as passwords, bank information, and other personal information at risk," the AG's office said.
Each complaint refers to TVs as a “mass surveillance system” in which consumer “viewing habits [are] packaged and auctioned to advertisers.” Texas alleged that “disclosures are hidden, vague and misleading,” and companies collect “far more data than necessary” for the TV to work, in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
“Companies, especially those connected to the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording Americans’ devices inside their own homes,” Paxton said in a release.
Hisense said its policy is to refrain from commenting on legal matters. The other four manufacturers didn't respond to a request for comment.