Late-night streaming sessions just became a privacy nightmare. Your smart TV isn’t just displaying content—it’s secretly photographing everything on screen, from Netflix binges to banking apps displayed through your gaming console. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed lawsuits against Samsung, Sony, LG, Hisense, and TCL, alleging these manufacturers use invasive surveillance technology that captures screenshots every 500 milliseconds without clear consent.
The Silent Surveillance System
ACR technology monitors all content flowing through your TV, creating detailed profiles for advertisers.
The culprit is Automated Content Recognition (ACR), which operates like a digital spy embedded in millions of living rooms. This technology doesn’t just track what you’re watching—it photographs everything displayed on your screen, including cable programs, streaming apps, and HDMI inputs from gaming consoles or laptops.
When you check bank balances on your PlayStation or review work documents through a laptop connection, ACR potentially captures that sensitive information too. Paxton called it an “uninvited, invisible digital invader” that violates the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by operating without genuine consumer consent.
Chinese Companies Face Extra Scrutiny
National security concerns amplify privacy violations for Hisense and TCL users.
Hisense already faces a temporary restraining order blocking its data collection activities. Paxton specifically highlighted concerns about Chinese manufacturers, stating that “companies, especially those connected to the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording Americans’ devices.”
Under China’s National Security Law, Chinese companies can be compelled to share data with their government. This potentially gives foreign intelligence access to American households’ viewing habits and accidentally captured personal information.
Manufacturers Stay Silent
Major TV brands decline to address pending litigation over privacy practices.
The accused companies aren’t talking. LG, Hisense, and Sony declined comment on pending litigation, while Samsung and TCL didn’t respond to inquiries. Their silence speaks volumes, especially since Consumer Reports has long criticized how ACR gets buried in dense privacy policies with confusing opt-out procedures.
Most users unknowingly accept these terms during TV setup, never realizing their viewing habits become valuable advertising data sold to third parties.
This lawsuit could force manufacturers to make ACR truly optional rather than default-enabled with misleading disclosures. Your living room surveillance might finally require explicit permission instead of fine-print trickery.
