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Your TV is spying on you - Find out how, and turn it off!

Dad, the engineer

1,325,462 views

PART 2, with much more complete list of TVs and streamer devices is here: Part 2 - FAQ - Stop your TV from SPYING ON...

Ever wonder why your massive TV costs less than your cell phone?

The price of a TV is subsidized by them being ad platforms, data collectors, and sensor-laden devices. Oh, and they're TVs, too. In this episode, you'll find out how Samsung, LG, Roku, Hisense, Vizio, Sony, Panasonic, Phillips, Sharp, TCL, and Toshiba and others quietly turn your “home theater” into a surveillance economy terminal.

You’ll see:
How Smart TVs actually track you — through ACR, voice assistants, and targeted ads
Why your TV is cheaper than ever (hint: you’re the product)
The FTC fines, lawsuits, and scandals manufacturers hope you forgot
How to disable spying features and reclaim your privacy

Because the only thing “smart” about these TVs… is how they monetize you.

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If you learned something - or if your TV’s listening right now - hit Like, Subscribe, and drop your weirdest Smart TV story in the comments.

Chapters:
00:00 - Why your TV is cheaper than your smartphone
02:44 - How They Actually Spy (ACR, Mics/Cameras, Ads, Data Sharing)
08:47 - Lawsuits and Scandals
09:37 - The Security Dumpster Fire
11:35 - What You Can Actually Do
13:13 - Conclusion

#DadRuinsEverything #SmartTV #Privacy #Surveillance #DataBrokers #TargetedAds #TechScams #CyberSecurity #SamsungTV #LGTV #Roku #Vizio #ACR #BigBrother #DataPrivacy #HomeSurveillance #Tizen #webos #tcl #sharp #toshiba #panasonic #hisense #sony

20 Comments

@Dad-The-Engineer Creator 11 months ago (edited) Pinned

Tell me if you love your TV, are suspicious of your TV, or have any interesting stories about Smart TVs! Also, please like and hype the video, if you like it. Thanks!

@crazyskyguy 10 months ago

Collecting this data, nevermind selling it, is an act that should be criminalized.

@innercynic2784 11 months ago

I don't want a "smart" TV. I want a "dumb" monitor that simply does what I want it to do. Nothing more... nothing less.

@handymike77 11 months ago

I wouldn't worry about your TV or cellphone spying on you. Your vacuum cleaner has been gathering dirt on you for years.😅

@Counselor77 11 months ago

Back in the day, you watched TV. Now, today, TV watches you.

@mikewallace119 9 months ago

Anything "smart" is code for surveillance...

@Milæ-r1h 10 months ago

The spying and data collection is breaching my own terms of service

@dustinmere1560 11 months ago

My wife and I have for sure noticed conversations ending up as ads on our devices.

@BillybobBjornsson 11 months ago

I feel like I should get a cut of the profit they make from selling my information. Kind of like royalties.

@vatodad 11 months ago

I am dad and a retired research engineer. [Three engineering degrees and NRC NQA-1 certifications in mechanical, electrical, nuclear, and civil engineering.] Many people have requested that I start a channel to expose the scams and falsehoods being promoted to average people who are not well educated in science and engineering. It sounds like that's exactly what you are doing, and I believe it's a very important activity. There are so many scams in the advertising world. Keep up the great work! 😊

@kevinjohnson1607 11 months ago

If you are receiving a service for "free," you are not the customer. You are the product.

@YdenMk-II 11 months ago

A couple years back my old TV died and I was in the market for a new one. I knew about all this spying stuff on smart TVs so I was looking for a dumb TV only to learn that it was nearly impossible to get a dumb TV. I eventually decided I don't use my TV enough and just live without one.

@solarlaura3355 2 days ago

In the old days a tinfoil hat would protect you. Not any more.

@Marinealver 11 months ago

Straight from the pages of 1984.

@Pcrrc-zx7ic 11 months ago

As an Engineer at Motorola in the early 80's working on cell phone manufacturing & finishing up in the 90's at Cisco Systems (I was employee #42 and got great pre IPO stock options) I sometimes feel like those that worked on the first nuclear bomb as the cell phone & Internet will likely be the death of our society. I miss the days when the phone was hooked to the wall and didn't follow you around.

@Zzyyzzxx7 11 months ago

My 2013 plasma doesn’t care how many hours of San Andreas I play, just as the good lord intended.

@ChickenDrawsDogs 11 months ago

I've stayed in a few hotels with smart TVs - and behold - I found previous guests' YT and Netflix accounts still logged in just waiting there. I know people are careless, but this is on a whole other level...

@lauraloulou4610 11 months ago

11:40 is where you will finally start to hear what you're looking for. How to turn it off!

@Galerak1 11 months ago (edited)

6:40 - "It promises it only activates after the wake-word" - Ok, so if it's not listening then how does it hear the 'wake-word' so it can 'activate'?

@G00GleIsACr33p 11 months ago

What makes all this surveillance scarier is the fact people see no issue with it so long as they get their 'free' services.

They look at me as I'm insane for my concern of and attempts to reduce the prevalence of it.