LG Televisions Accused of Harvesting Network Data and Audio

The investigation, conducted alongside Level1Techs and cybersecurity researchers MrBruh and uturn, centers on LG’s Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology. According to the findings, these systems track what users watch and identify every device connected to a local WiFi network. Gamers Nexus claims the TVs collect sensitive information including IP addresses, precise geographic locations, and the names of nearby wireless networks.

Beyond data collection, the researchers demonstrated that software flaws could allow an attacker to turn on-device microphones into active listening tools. While LG Ad Solutions boasts on its website that it can detect 363 million addressable secondary devices—a figure significantly higher than the 216 million TVs LG claims to have sold globally—the company has not yet addressed the specific security vulnerabilities identified. This report follows earlier criticism of LG’s advertising practices, which previously drew intervention from Microsoft after users complained about intrusive ads on monitors.