(Credit: Jeffrey Hazelwood/PCMag; Getty Images)
You can't count on privacy when sitting in the comfort of your living room, because while you’re watching TV, your TV might very well be watching you. A feature common to all major smart TV platforms can analyze what you're watching to determine which ads to display and which content to suggest. The data it collects is valuable on its own, too, and can be sold to any company that wants to understand your (and everyone's) viewing habits.
This is called Automated Content Recognition, or ACR, and it's usually enabled by default on newer TVs. Even if the device manufacturer or platform holder says the data is private, secure, and anonymized, the tech is still invasive. In fact, it's probably more invasive than you might think. I'll explain the privacy concerns associated with ACR and show you how to turn it off.
Why Streaming Services Already Know Exactly What You Watch
Anything you watch on a video streaming service is identifiable the moment you select it. That's just how streaming works. You choose a movie in an app, and the app contacts a server with that movie's name to determine which stream to send to your TV. If it's a service you sign in to, like Netflix, it'll connect your account to the movie you want to watch. The service uses that information as a convenience; after all, that's how it displays your viewing history, creates recommended watch lists, and resumes where you left off if you stop watching a movie before you finish it. If it's an ad-supported platform like Tubi that doesn't require you to log in, it can still track your viewing habits using your device's IP address or other identifying data.
For example, let's say I want to watch the criminally underrated comedy-action Hudson Hawk on Pluto TV. I open the app on my TV, select the movie, and start watching. Pluto TV will know that I want to stream the movie because I chose it in its app. And if I log into my Pluto TV account to bookmark it, the service will recognize that I love Hudson Hawk and might suggest similar movies. It's simple and direct, identifying what I'm watching by its title. The service can track me, but what can I do? It's just how it works.
The Bigger Threat: How Your TV Identifies Anything You Play—Even Offline
ACR doesn't handle app-level data, as in the video streaming example above. Instead, it watches or listens to what you're streaming and uses that information for the TV maker's purposes. ACR analyzes everything that goes through your TV and looks for giveaways hidden in the audio or video signal. Those digital fingerprints let ACR know what you're watching, no matter which app, service, or media format you're using.
As another example, let's say I want to watch Hudson Hawk on Blu-ray. I put the disc in the player (or play it from my NAS after ripping it), switch my TV to the right input, and start the film. ACR can hear Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello's duet of Bing Crosby’s "Swinging on a Star" and recognize that I'm watching Hudson Hawk. The fact that it's playing from a physical disc, not the internet, won't stop the ACR on my TV from identifying it.
How to Disable ACR (Before Your TV Collects More Data)
Fortunately, you can turn off ACR, but you must dig through menus to do so. And the tech almost always has a unique name, depending on the TV brand and platform. It can also differ depending on your TV's age, since interfaces often rearrange menus when they’re updated over time. With that in mind, here's a general guide on how to disable ACR on most popular TVs.
Amazon Fire TVs
(Credit: Will Greenwald)Amazon's Fire TV platform is used not only by Amazon, but also by companies like Hisense and Panasonic. ACR might go by slightly different names on those TVs, but on first-party Fire TVs, it's simply called Automatic Content Recognition.
Navigate to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings > Automatic Content Recognition. Turn that off, along with Device Usage Data, Collect App, and Over-The-Air Data.
LG TVs
(Credit: Will Greenwald)LG TVs call ACR Live Plus, and its setting is buried pretty deep. To deactivate it, visit Settings > General > System > Advanced Settings > Live Plus.
Once there, turn off Live Plus, along with any other similar-sounding options you might be concerned about.
Other TVs
- Roku: Go to Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience. To disable ACR, uncheck Use Information for TV Inputs.
- Samsung: On older models, go to Settings > Support and scroll down to Terms & Policies. Here, you’ll want to turn off Viewing Information Services (Samsung’s ACR technology) and Interest-Based Advertising (for personalized ad tracking). On newer models, go to Settings > All Settings > General & Privacy > Terms & Privacy. Select and turn off Viewing Information Services and Interest-Based Advertising.
- Sony: Go to Settings > Initial Setup and choose Interactive TV Settings or Samba Interactive TV (Sony's ACR equivalent) and set it to Off.
- Vizio: Press the MENU button on your TV's remote or head to HDTV Settings on the TV. Go to System > Reset & Admin > Highlight Viewing Data. Press the right arrow to turn off the setting.
Your TV Isn't the Only Thing Tracking You
There are many ways your personal online habits might not be so personal, with tracking and data mining extending beyond your TV. For even more protection, check out these 10 essential apps for protecting your privacy. Likewise, consider getting a VPN for your computer and other devices.
Lance Whitney contributed to this article.