Samsung Forced to Halt Data Collection in TVs in Texas Without “Express Consent”

Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton secured an agreement with Samsung that “will ensure Samsung no longer collects Automated Content Recognition (“ACR”) data without consumers being fully informed and consenting prior to any information being collected.”

The agreement follows a lawsuit against Samsung for their data collection practices, particularly their Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology.

Paxton alleges that the technology is being used to “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 or consent.”

Then they sell that data to target ads to them across platforms for profit.

This technology puts users’ privacy and sensitive information, such as passwords, bank information, and other personal information at risk.

As part of the agreement, Samsung will stop collection of ACR data without Texas consumers’ “express consent.”

Samsung must promptly update its smart TVs to implement the necessary consent screens that are void of dark patterns and clearly communicate the data that will be collected.

Paxton commends Samsung for being one of the first TV makers to implement these improvements.

He also sued Sony, LG, Hisense, and TCL Technology for similar data collection practices, but those cases are still ongoing.

It’s been known for a while that smart TVs are some of the worst offenders for privacy-invasive data collection practices.

TV manufacturers have even flirted with making a ”free” TV that you pay for with your data. It even has a camera and everything! (You don’t even own the TV - if you get rid of it they will charge you for it).

TVs used to be much simpler: they just took your display input and showed the picture. But with the rise of streaming services and the increasing complexity and cost of new display technology, companies needed some way to offset the cost or no one would be able to afford a TV.

The smart TV allows for the cost of the appliance to be subsidized by incessant data collection, so a TV featuring the latest advanced features can still be affordable for the average person.

With increasing consumer awareness of privacy abuses and now governmental pressure on companies to stop deceptive privacy practices, we could see the return of dumb TVs as the viability of collecting user data dwindles.

The Texas lawsuits are a win for consumers and I hope to see more and more pressure on companies to respect their own customers’ privacy.