LG smart TVs collect data and record audio even when offline, feeding LG Ad Solutions

September 14, 2026 · adindex.ru

LG smart TVs continue to collect and transmit data while powered down and disconnected from the internet, according to a Variety report based on an investigation by the YouTube channel Gamers Nexus and vlogger Level1Techs. Packet analysis showed the sets scanning nearby Wi-Fi networks for IP and MAC addresses, recording ambient sound through onboard microphones during sleep mode, and storing that audio locally until the TV reconnects and uploads it. LG's Automatic Content Recognition system separately reads audio and video signals from apps, HDMI ports and other inputs to identify whether a viewer is watching live television, playing a game console or using the screen as a computer monitor. The company routes the resulting data into LG Ad Solutions, its advertising arm.

Trust in ACR-based audience data now carries legal exposure that extends past the device maker. LG updated its terms in summer 2026, as the Texas attorney general pursues a lawsuit over TV surveillance without consent, and the new language requires owners to warn houseguests that the set records their conversations, while owners who refuse the terms lose software updates and security patches. Media plans and attribution models built on smart-TV viewing data inherit that consent risk, and buyers who rely on LG-derived segments for targeting or measurement should confirm how the underlying data was collected before using it in a campaign.