Samsung TVs may capture audio through connected external devices

The researcher, operating under the handle @log4j, gained root access to a 2025 Samsung smart TV to investigate unusual advertising patterns. The analysis revealed that the television logs specific acoustic events, such as a dog barking or a baby crying, under an internal event category labeled EV201/SOUNDSENSOR_ON. While Samsung’s Vision AI features officially use this data to trigger SmartThings app alerts, the researcher claims the device transmits this information back to the company without clear user disclosure.

Beyond ambient audio, the investigation identified that Samsung’s firmware monitors granular user activity within third-party applications. The TV logs interactions within the YouTube app, specifically tracking which advertisements a user chooses to skip. This discovery follows similar privacy concerns raised last month regarding LG televisions, which were accused of recording user data while in standby mode. Samsung has yet to provide a formal response to these findings regarding its data collection practices.