Moor Studio/Getty Images
Virtually every action you take online, regardless of the device, is monitored, gathered, shared, and quantified. The clips you view. The advertisements you bypass. The items and services you purchase. Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that the majority of smart TVs are also observing your activities on your television and streaming services. However, the technique utilized is distinctive. By employing the integrated HDMI ports, smart TVs can monitor what you and your family are viewing through a system known as Automatic Content Recognition or ACR.
Using ACR, content providers analyze what’s displayed on your screen —via routine screen captures — whether you’re viewing a film, series, or engaging in gaming via a connected console, and subsequently compare it to an online database. This information is utilized to track and confirm statistics such as the number of advertisements you’ve encountered. It operates through HDMI, meaning anything linked to an HDMI port can be recorded, including gaming consoles, mini PCs, and streaming devices.
What exacerbates the situation, in addition to data collection and privacy violations, is that opting out can be quite complicated. Yes, you can sever your TV’s internet connection, but you’ll forfeit access to numerous valuable features. Furthermore, it appears to be lawful for corporations to conduct this activity, especially since you likely consented to it via an end-user license agreement (EULA) upon your initial account registration or when you first utilized the device.