politics
December 17, 2025
Texas sues biggest TV makers, alleging smart TVs spy on users without consent
Automated Content Recognition brings “mass surveillance” to homes, lawsuits say.
TL;DR
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense, and TCL for allegedly spying on viewers via smart TV ACR technology.
- The lawsuits claim ACR technology captures screenshots, monitors viewing activity in real-time, and transmits data to companies without user knowledge or consent.
- Manufacturers allegedly sell this data for targeted advertising profits, violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
- Texas is seeking damages, restraining orders, and prohibiting the collection, sharing, and selling of ACR data.
- Concerns are raised about Hisense and TCL, Chinese-based companies, potentially providing US consumer data to the Chinese government under its National Security Law.
- The lawsuits argue that personalized content and targeted advertising are not legitimate reasons for collecting such sensitive data.
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