LG defends smart-TV features amid audio surveillance allegations | Technology News
LG Denies Allegations Over Smart TV Recording Practices
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer LG has rejected claims that its smart televisions record conversations, listen while in standby mode, and store audio for later transmission.
In a statement to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, LG clarified that voice data is recorded exclusively when a user engages the voice button on the remote control or activates the “Hi LG” wake word, which requires prior activation of the Far-Field voice recognition feature.
“Other than these instances, the TVs do not collect or record ambient conversations,” the company stated, noting that any voice data is processed solely through explicit user commands. LG emphasized that audio is deleted if the wake word is not recognized.
The company’s response comes in the wake of a 135-minute investigative report released Monday by Gamers Nexus, in collaboration with Level1Techs and independent security researchers. The report scrutinized data collection practices and security measures associated with LG televisions, raising significant concerns about user privacy.
According to the researchers, their analysis of network traffic and software indicated that LG televisions are capable of tracking users and collecting extensive local network data, including audio transcripts. They asserted that audio could be recorded through an LG TV even while in standby mode, suggesting that microphones on remote controls may still be active.
Gamers Nexus claimed that there are “216 million Spy TVs” in the U.S. alone, in contrast to LG’s reported figures of 49 million smart TVs in the U.S. and 216 million worldwide. The researchers reported that background noise could be captured from as far as 12 meters (40 feet) away from the televisions and archived.
Yash Vekaria, a computer science researcher at the University of California, Davis, highlighted the risks associated with prolonged TV lifespan, often exceeding update support. “Prompt patching from LG matters,” he said, pointing out that vulnerabilities could potentially compromise sensitive conversations, especially in scenarios involving government officials.
The researchers also suggested that non-recognized wake-word interactions could be stored locally and later transmitted to LG servers if the device loses its network connection. These audio snippets might reside in temporary storage without user awareness, Vekaria added.
Privacy concerns have been attributed to subpar design and selective information disclosure. Vekaria noted that a compromised device could execute commands authorized by its hardware, leading to further privacy violations. Additionally, the researchers claimed to have identified text transcripts from audio captured after a user interaction with the wake word, even after a silence of 10 to 15 seconds.
While the validity of these claims has not been independently verified, Vekaria expressed skepticism about the intent behind storing queued audio for later transmission, raising questions about whether such data is meant for analytics or model training. He stated that he was not aware of any direct evidence linking ambient audio to LG’s advertising or profiling systems.
LG acknowledged that its advertising business relies on household data but maintained that features like Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) and voice recognition are separate and require explicit user consent for activation.
“The scans for nearby devices are a standard function of smart TVs,” the company added, defending its practices. Anna Maria Mandalari, a lecturer in communications and networking at University College London, indicated that device discovery serves legitimate purposes, such as screen casting and connecting to smart-home products.
Nevertheless, Mandalari warned that such functions could gather sensitive information about a household’s composition, potentially contributing to profiling its occupants.
In its communication with Al Jazeera, LG reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and rejected any accusations of deceptive practices.
