1519
LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices (www.notebookcheck.net)
submitted 3 weeks ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
361 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

An investigation by Gamers Nexus found LG smart TVs sweep local networks to map phones and nearby devices. Tests also showed the sets can capture microphone audio with the screen off — they then upload data once reconnected to the internet.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 30 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Amazon Sidewalk - even if you didn't connect it, it could still be spying

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    What is this? I have a Sony TV that's not connected to the internet so I thought I was safe.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    I don't know if any TVs are actually using it, but Amazon Sidewalk is a form of LoRa, low power, low bandwidth, long distance communication. It's designed to let non-internet connected devices phone back home. I hear it is very popular with shipping trackers because you can put a small device in a pallet and have it send it's GPS back for free. I'm not sure it would support the GBs of data TVs are phoning home with each month, but it could certainly send some data home.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago

    Yup, this can get used for very scary stuff. As you said it's low bandwidth, but since edge devices are more powerful that's less of a limitation than you might think. A TV could easily do speech to text, rough ACR, and device fingerprinting all locally without any internet connection, then summarize and compress that data for a daily or weekly upload. No need to send the large data itself, just a a small report that's a few KB in size.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent