The Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, has filed lawsuits against several major TV manufacturers, including Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL. The lawsuits accuse these companies of secretly recording consumers’ viewing habits through Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology.
ACR enables the TVs to gather data on what users are watching across various sources, including streaming services, cable TV, and connected devices like laptops and game consoles. The lawsuits claim that the TV manufacturers engage in deceptive practices by collecting and selling this personal data for targeted advertising without users’ explicit consent.
Specific allegations include Samsung and Hisense taking screenshots of TV displays every 500 milliseconds without adequate disclosure to users. Additionally, Paxton raises concerns about TCL and Hisense’s ties to China, describing their products as potential Chinese-sponsored surveillance devices that could be invading users’ privacy.
The legal actions are based on violations of Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act, aiming to protect consumers from misleading practices in the tech industry.
Source: The Verge
Leave a Reply