Texas AG sues TV makers for alleged illegal data collection through smart TVs
New TVs come pre-loaded with spyware called 'Automatic Content Recognition' (ACR)
AUSTIN, Texas — The Lone Star State is taking five TV manufacturers to court, accusing them of secretly spying on Texans.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL, accusing the companies of unlawfully collecting personal data through content recognition technology inside their TVs then selling that information to other companies for targeted ads.
n a release, Paxton called the technology deceptive, abusive and exploitative.
“Companies, especially those connected to the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording Americans’ devices inside their own homes,” Paxton said. “This conduct is invasive, deceptive, and unlawful. The fundamental right to privacy will be protected in Texas because owning a television does not mean surrendering your personal information to Big Tech or foreign adversaries.”
According to Paxton, the companies have been collecting data through Automated Content Recognition – software that can capture screenshots of a user’s television display every 500 milliseconds, monitor viewing activity in real time and transmit that information back to the company without the user’s knowledge.
The AG’s office believes that data collection technology could put sensitive information at risk, like passwords and bank information.
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