Summary
- LG smart TVs scan local networks and log nearby devices and Wi‑Fi info — even on standby or offline.
- Microphone captures clear audio in standby, stores recordings locally and uploads when the TV reconnects.
- The mic can’t be disabled at the hardware level, raising privacy and security risks.
Your LG smart TV could reportedly collect all sorts of data while sitting inconspicuously inside your living room — even when on standby, and even when disconnected from the internet.
According to testing by the Gamers Nexus YouTube Channel and independent security researchers, retail LG OLED TVs were found scanning local networks, gathering information about nearby devices, and capturing microphone audio while apparently in standby. LG claims to have sold roughly 220 million smart TVs over the past decade, giving the potential scope of the issue an enormous reach.
LG TVs can keep listening in Standby
And of course, LG would claim this benefits you
During testing, Steve from the Gamers Nexus channel and other independent security researchers (see video below) used network traffic captures to examine what LG televisions were doing behind the scenes. Apparently, the TV scanned the local network for unrelated devices, such as phones and smartwatches, while also collecting the name of every Wi-Fi network in the vicinity, its signal strength, and even the internal IP address of other devices on the network.
We wish it ended there, but it didn’t. The more alarming discovery involved the TV’s microphone. During the test, the television continued capturing clear microphone audio after its display went dark and it entered standby. When the TV was disconnected from the internet, it continued storing voice recordings inside the TV’s local drive, only to upload them as soon as the set went back online.
Turning off your smart TV’s always-listening microphone is a good idea. That is, of course, if your TV manufacturer is kind enough to give you that option. While you can turn off the voice recognition feature on LG smart TVs, the company doesn’t give you the option to turn the microphone off at a hardware level.
Of course, LG says this is all to understand its users better, so that it can send you more relevant ads. The collected data (at last partly) is harvested from your TV to feed automatic content recognition (ACR) technology. ACR runs constantly in the background taking screenshots to figure out what you’re watching. Then, that data is given to advertisers to feed you targeted ads.
You may think spending a four-figure sum on a TV means you now own it, but LG might think otherwise. Perhaps the company’s own advertising language is fitting for this scenario. Serge Matta, President of Global Ad Sales at LG Ad Solutions, has appeared in the company’s advertising push around the idea that LG “owns the glass.” Gamers Nexus also highlighted the phrase in its investigation.
Even the LG Ad Solutions website tells advertisers to “own the living room” by reaching the connected LG household across TVs, phones, tablets, and desktops. Calling these slogans “wild” would not be a total overstatement.
It’s all for ads, until it isn’t
While collecting private data for ads can be annoying in and of itself, the problem can grow far beyond having to watch ads about something you’d just talked about with a friend. Smart TVs can easily be infected with malware. Especially considering the fact that LG TVs tend to store your data locally, your smart TV can become one of the easiest targets for cybersecurity threats.
We have previously covered the signs that your smart TV may be spying on you, and offered ways to stop it. Given the recent LG investigation, it seems like there may be considerably less control over what you can prevent.