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Do you have a smart TV in your home? Did you know that smart TVs collect data on you? What can you do to protect yourself?
Your smart TV isn’t just entertaining you—it’s watching you back, according to a recent report by a digital watchdog group that calls connected TVs a “privacy nightmare.” Smart TV and streaming companies are accelerating their surveillance capabilities, collecting increasingly extensive personal data about viewers, often without their knowledge or consent.
Continue reading to learn why smart TVs are becoming privacy risks.
Your Smart TV Is Watching You
Connected TV (CTV)—internet-connected televisions that stream content—has become the primary way consumers access television programming. But many viewers are unknowingly relinquishing mass amounts of personal information to CTV companies, according to an October report by the Center for Digital Democracy, which warns of a “sinister surveillance system” built by the CTV industry.
The center argues that the streaming industry has intentionally adopted invasive smart TV data-collection practices long used by other digital sectors, forcing millions of Americans to compromise their personal information just to watch shows and movies. This “connected television media and marketing system” has “unprecedented capabilities” to surveil and manipulate viewers, turning smart TVs into sophisticated monitoring devices that undermine consumer privacy.
Sophisticated Data Collection Methods
According to the center’s report, CTV and streaming companies are developing increasingly sophisticated methods to gather and use viewer data. This begins with tracking viewing habits using Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology to identify what’s playing on screen. Next they build comprehensive digital profiles by combining viewers’’ identities, viewing choices, and purchase histories with other behavioral data. Then they use this information to shape content recommendations and influence which products appear in shows.
Despite the invasive nature of these practices, companies often obscure their data collection methods behind vague privacy policies. They employ tactics like cookie-less IDs and identity graphs—databases that link various digital identifiers to individual users—while simultaneously promising not to collect or share personal information. These misleading policies effectively nullify their privacy commitments, leaving viewers unaware of the extent of data being gathered about them and how it’s being used to influence their viewing and purchasing behaviors.
Privacy Worries
Connected TV platforms’ extensive data collection and targeting capabilities raise significant privacy concerns:
- Political manipulation. CTV’s sophisticated data analysis and targeting tools could enable political campaigns to deliver covert, highly personalized messages to individual viewers, potentially spreading disinformation and deepening political divides without viewers’ awareness.
- Racial profiling. Streaming companies are singling out Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American communities as lucrative advertising targets.
- Pharmaceutical advertising. Despite claims of user anonymity, CTV platforms let drug marketers target individuals with ads. This practice is legal only in the US and New Zealand.
- Content restriction. As streaming services use viewer data to power recommendation algorithms, there’s a risk of creating “filter bubbles” that limit exposure to diverse content, potentially narrowing viewers’ perspectives.
Smart TVs and AI
The Center for Digital Democracy warns that the escalating use of AI in data collection could make future regulation difficult. The group has called on the FTC, FCC, and others to investigate and regulate the connected TV industry.
While consumers seeking to avoid smart TV surveillance have limited options, as most modern TVs are internet-connected and virtually every major operator employs consumer surveillance practices, experts say there are steps you can take to mitigate some risks:
- Research your TV’s data collection features and learn how to control them.
- Disable Automatic Content Recognition in your TV’s settings to prevent detailed tracking of your viewing habits.
- Cover the camera and microphone on your smart TV when not in use—or disable these features entirely if possible.
- Only download apps from your TV’s official app store to reduce the risk of malware.
- Regularly update your TV’s software for the latest security patches.
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