Your smart TV is essentially a data collection device that can also play Netflix and YouTube. And that's not an exaggeration by any means. By default, your smart TV tracks what you watch, constantly uses the microphone, logs your location, and builds an ad profile that gets sold to third parties. Sure, all of this is technically mentioned somewhere in the privacy policy of your TV. But if you don't want to go through that, you can do what I did with my Google TV, which is managing all these privacy settings one by one.
ACR is the first thing to turn off on any TV
Your TV is watching you watch TV
If there's one smart TV feature that invades your privacy more than anything, it's ACR (Automatic Content Recognition). Almost every smart TV on the market has it, but most people don't even know about it because it works entirely in the background. What this feature does is detect what you're watching on your TV. It doesn't matter what streaming app you're using — your manufacturer can tell what movie or TV show is on. Heck, ACR can even identify content when you're watching cable TV, a Blu-ray disc, or gaming on your PS5.
The way ACR works is simple. It constantly captures a snapshot of whatever appears on the screen and compares it to the TV manufacturer's database. It does this every few seconds. So yes, if something is on your screen, ACR is watching it. This profile helps the manufacturer collect data about what you watch, when you watch it, and even how long you stay on something before switching. All of this then gets sold to advertisers.
In fact, Vizio got caught doing the exact same thing back in 2017, resulting in a $2.2 million settlement with the FTC and the New Jersey Attorney General. Unfortunately, nothing has really changed even today. Samsung, LG, Sony, Fire TV, and Roku all run their own versions of ACR under different names. Samsung calls it Viewing Information Services, LG labels it Live Plus, while Fire TV has named it Automatic Content Recognition. Most importantly, all of these are enabled by default. The only good thing here is that you can disable ACR through your TV's settings menu. On most TVs, the option is under Settings > Privacy > Advertising or Device Preferences. On Roku, it's called "Smart TV Experience".
Your TV doesn't need access to microphone, camera, and location services
Less access means less data collection
Let's be honest. Your TV is just a display, and its main job is to show you content. So why would you ever want to give it 24x7 access to a microphone, camera, and location? I get it, microphone access is kind of necessary if you want to use the built-in voice assistants like Google Assistant or Alexa or voice search. But the privacy trade-off is huge because your TV is always listening. And that's not a conspiracy theory — that's just how always-on detection works. Personally, I'd rather give up on voice input and the built-in voice assistant for peace of mind.
Cameras are less common on TVs, but some high-end models from Sony or Samsung include them for video calls or gesture controls. Even if your TV has one, you probably don't use it often. Most of the time, it just sits there facing the couch, which means it's better to only enable the camera when you need it. So if the TV has a physical shutter for the camera, use it. If it doesn't, a piece of electrical tape will work just as well. It may not look elegant, but it's certainly effective.
Finally, location access is one that gets me the most because it's the least useful. It's not like I'm watching the weather or using maps on my TV. In many cases, manufacturers use this location data to get a rough idea of where you live and show ads accordingly. You can disable access to all three of these by heading to Settings > Privacy on most TVs. On Android TV, go to Settings > Device Preferences > Privacy > Location and set it to Off. For microphone, look for the microphone icon in the remote or in the settings under Device > Microphone.
Resetting advertising ID and switching to a private DNS can help too
Not the most exciting settings, but still important
Every smart TV gets assigned an advertising ID. It's basically a unique identifier that advertisers and ad networks use to track your device across apps and build a profile on you. You can reset this advertising ID to force your TV to generate a new one. This will also erase all the data that's been collected so far. To do this on an Android TV, head to Settings > Privacy > Ads, and choose Reset advertising ID. On other platforms like Roku, the option is under Settings > Privacy > Advertising, where you can also limit ad tracking. On Fire TV, go to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings > Device Advertising ID and select Reset.
The private DNS is a different kind of privacy fix. By default, your TV uses the DNS server assigned by your ISP. That means your ISP can see every domain your TV tries to reach, every ad server it pings, every analytics endpoint it phones home to, all of it. Switching to a third-party DNS like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Quad9 (9.9.9.9) takes that visibility away from your ISP. It's not just about privacy, either. Some DNS providers can even help you unlock geo-restricted content, while some offer ad-blocking. To change DNS servers on an Android TV, head to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi or Ethernet > IP settings and choose Static. Leave IP address and Gateway as they are and enter your preferred DNS addresses in DNS 1 and DNS 2 fields. For other smart TV platforms like Roku or Fire TV, the DNS setting is usually configured at the router level, so you may need to change it on your home router to affect all devices.
Additionally, you can turn off features like "Smart Experience" on Roku, which sends data about your viewing to third parties. On Samsung TVs, look for "Viewing Information Services" and toggle it off. On LG, go to Settings > All Settings > General > Live Plus and disable it. Sony TVs running Android TV have similar settings under Device Preferences > Privacy > Advertising. Apple TV users can limit ad tracking under Settings > Privacy > Advertising. It's also worth checking for any "interest-based ads" options and disabling them.
Another often overlooked setting is the HDMI-CEC functionality, which while not directly a privacy leak, can be used by devices to communicate and potentially track usage. But the main privacy concerns are addressed by the steps above. Remember, the moment you set up your smart TV, it starts collecting data. Taking five minutes to go through these settings can make a big difference in how much of your personal information ends up in the hands of advertisers and data brokers. And if you want to go further, consider using a router-level ad blocker like Pi-hole or a VPN on your router to encrypt all traffic from your TV.
The bottom line is that your TV is not just a screen — it's a sophisticated data collector. But with a few changes, you can enjoy your shows without being watched. Disable ACR, revoke microphone and location permissions, reset your advertising ID, and use a private DNS. These steps are easy, free, and effective. Your living room should be a place of entertainment, not surveillance.
Source:MakeUseOf News