Smart TVs from major brands are continuing to send user data to tracking endpoints even after users have opted out of monitoring in their privacy settings, according to research published on Monday. The findings raise new concerns about the effectiveness of privacy controls on devices from leading manufacturers including Samsung, Vizio, and Roku.
The study, titled “Watching the Watchers: Privacy Analysis of US Smart TV Automatic Content Recognition,” examined 12 smart TVs running eight different operating systems. Researchers found that TVs operating on Samsung Tizen, Vizio OS, and Roku OS continued to transmit network traffic to automatic content recognition (ACR) servers, even when tracking was disabled in the device settings and during typical usage scenarios, such as streaming content via built-in apps.
Automatic content recognition technology is used by smart TVs to identify what users are watching, often for the purpose of targeted advertising and viewer profiling. According to the research, the continued data transmission suggests that opting out in device menus may not be fully effective, and that manufacturers may still be collecting information despite user preferences.
The research author told Ars Technica that it is “unlikely” that the operating system operators are discarding this data, implying that user activity may still be tracked and analyzed even after opting out. The report also noted that the scope of data collection can vary depending on the specific device and settings, but the persistence of network traffic to ACR endpoints was consistent across the tested Samsung, Vizio, and Roku models.
In response to these privacy concerns, a growing number of developers and privacy advocates are turning to technical solutions to regain control over their smart TVs. Projects such as “dumbtv” and “cleanyourtv” have gained traction, allowing users to disable ACR, remove sponsored content, and strip out unwanted features without the need to root their devices. These tools often leverage AI coding agents to automate the process of identifying and removing tracking software and advertising components.
One approach, highlighted by Yahoo Tech, involves connecting to Android TV or Google TV devices via Wi-Fi and using AI assistants to delete unnecessary files and disable advertising modules. According to developers, these methods can revert smart TVs to a more basic, “dumb” state, limiting their functionality to essential features and reducing unwanted data collection.
The rise of these user-driven modifications reflects growing frustration with the prevalence of surveillance and advertising in consumer electronics. While some manufacturers describe ACR as optional and consent-based, the latest research indicates that actual user control over data collection may be limited.
It remains unclear how manufacturers will respond to these findings or whether regulatory scrutiny will increase. For now, users concerned about privacy are left to rely on third-party tools and technical workarounds to protect their data.
The image accompanying this article is an AI-generated illustrative depiction inspired by the actual scene of the event.
