If you own an LG television, disconnect it from the internet immediately—even if you use an Apple TV set-top box. A September investigation by Gamers Nexus, working with security researchers and Level1Techs, reveals LG's smart TVs remain a severe privacy threat. Testing LG OLED models using tools like Wireshark uncovered extensive data collection far beyond typical usage tracking.

The TVs employ Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to snapshot screen content and audio for analysis by external servers. More alarmingly, microphones in remote controls record and transcribe conversations—even when no voice command is active—sending snippets to LG Ad Solutions, which boasts data from 216 million LG smart TVs globally, including 49 million in the United States.

Researchers also found the TVs capture plaintext transcripts of private conversations, record audio and video via connected webcams, and continue recording while appearing powered off. The devices actively scan local networks for other hardware like smartphones and smartwatches, map nearby Wi-Fi networks, and determine precise geographic location. Unplug Ethernet and make the TV forget Wi-Fi credentials to stop this surveillance.