Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed separate lawsuits on Tuesday against Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL, accusing their televisions of secretly recording what consumers watch in their own homes through Automatic Content Recognition technology to collect data for targeted advertising.
The lawsuits describe the televisions as part of a mass surveillance system that employs Automatic Content Recognition, or ACR. This technology processes visual and audio data from the screen to identify specific content. ACR detects shows and movies broadcast on streaming services and cable TV channels. It also recognizes YouTube videos playing on the television. In addition, ACR identifies material from Blu-ray discs inserted into the player. The system operates continuously while the television remains powered on and displaying such content.
Beyond standard programming, ACR captures streams from security cameras and doorbell cameras when those feeds appear on the television screen. It records media transmitted via Apple AirPlay or Google Cast protocols from compatible devices. The technology further seizes displays generated by other equipment connected through the television’s HDMI ports, including laptops and game consoles linked for screen mirroring or playback.
Paxton alleges that the five manufacturers deceptively prompt users to activate ACR during setup or usage. Disclosures about data collection remain hidden, vague, and misleading, according to the lawsuits. For instance, Samsung and Hisense televisions capture screenshots of the display every 500 milliseconds as part of their ACR implementation.
The companies siphon this viewing data back to their own servers without the user’s knowledge or consent. They subsequently sell the information to support targeted advertising campaigns directed at consumers.
Separate concerns target TCL and Hisense, both headquartered in China. Paxton labels their televisions as Chinese-sponsored surveillance devices, recording the viewing habits of Texans at every turn.
