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 on 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 have a clue 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. The company settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the New Jersey Attorney General for $2.2 million, agreeing to obtain explicit consent from users before collecting viewing data. 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.
To turn off ACR, you need to navigate to your TV’s privacy or support settings. On Google TV or Android TV, go to Settings > Privacy > Usage & Diagnostics and toggle off Automatic Content Recognition. On Roku, go to Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience and uncheck Use info from TV inputs. For Samsung TVs, head to Settings > Support > Terms & Privacy and disable Viewing Information Services. On LG, look for Settings > All Settings > General > System > Additional Settings > Live Plus and turn it off. Fire TV owners can go to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings and disable Device Usage Data and Collect App Usage Data. The exact steps may vary by model and firmware version, but the option is there if you dig deep enough.
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 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. For example, Amazon’s Alexa on Fire TV or Google Assistant on Android TV require a wake word to activate, but the microphone remains active to listen for that wake word. Even if the data isn’t constantly recorded, the potential for abuse or accidental triggering is high. 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, and 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. Some TVs even use Wi-Fi triangulation to determine your location. You can disable access to all three of these by heading to Settings > Privacy on most TVs. On Android TV, go to Settings > Privacy > Location and set it to Off. For the microphone, check Settings > Device Preferences > Google Assistant > Voice Match and turn off Access with Voice Match. For cameras, look for a dedicated privacy setting or use the hardware shutter.
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. This ID is similar to the one on your smartphone, and it’s reset periodically by some platforms, but not all. 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 Roku, go to Settings > Privacy > Advertising > Reset Advertising Identifier. On Fire TV, navigate to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings > Advertising ID > Reset. It’s a good idea to do this every few months or whenever you notice overly targeted ads.
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. For instance, Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.2 and 1.1.0.2 block malware, while Quad9 blocks known malicious domains.
To change DNS servers on your 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. On Roku, you cannot change DNS directly; instead, you can configure it at the router level. Fire TV also allows DNS changes under Settings > Network > [Your Network] > Advanced > IP Settings and switch to Static. For Samsung and LG TVs, the option is usually under Network > Network Status > IP Settings.
Beyond these steps, there are other measures you can take. Consider using an external streaming device like an Apple TV or a dedicated Android TV box that you trust more than the built-in OS. These devices often receive updates longer and may have better privacy controls. Also, review the permissions of each app installed on your TV. Many smart TVs allow you to see which apps have access to the microphone, camera, and location. Revoke any permissions that aren’t absolutely necessary.
Another often-overlooked setting is the Interest-Based Ads or Personalized Ads toggle. Turning this off doesn’t stop all ads, but it prevents the TV from using your data to select ads. On Android TV, go to Settings > Privacy > Ads > Opt out of Ads Personalization. On Roku, it’s under Settings > Privacy > Advertising > Limit Ad Tracking. On Fire TV, look for Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings > Interest-Based Ads and toggle it off.
Finally, keep your TV’s firmware updated. Manufacturers often patch security vulnerabilities and sometimes improve privacy settings with updates. However, be cautious—some updates may enable new tracking features. Check the release notes or search online before applying major firmware updates.
In summary, the biggest privacy leak in your living room is indeed the TV itself. By disabling ACR, restricting microphone, camera, and location access, resetting your advertising ID, and switching to a private DNS, you can significantly reduce the amount of data your TV collects and shares. Take these steps today to regain control over your home’s digital privacy.
Source: MakeUseOf News