# LG Smart TV investigation by GamerNexus highlight privacy issues **URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/lg-smart-tv-investigation-by-gamernexus-highlight-privacy-issues/40519 **Category:** General **Tags:** video **Created:** 2026-09-07T14:43:34Z **Posts:** 35 ## Post 1 by @subounty — 2026-09-07T14:43:34Z I’ve been waiting on this report for a while when they first reported the privacy concern. I’m less than 30% into the video and not sure why I’m still shocked by all of this. > **[216,000,000 Spy TVs | The LG Smart TV Problem](https://youtu.be/6IFVTcM28KA?is=ZCin8UhvEXaKNinz)** > > SUPPORT THE DATA DRAGNET SERIES: https://store.gamersnexus.net/data-dragnetThe LG Smart TVs we've tested have first-party ACR (automatic content recognition)... --- ## Post 2 by @Footnote5444 — 2026-09-07T16:55:55Z Haven’t made my way through the video yet, but it does raise an interesting question of if Android TV’s set up using their “basic TV mode” and never connected to the internet have a (weird) advantage? Android TV’s also allow for ADB changes for advanced users that AFAIK none of the other smart tv OS’ allow for. a “dumb” TV is the best route, but I guess if I had to set up something for the average consumer the route I would take today is a Android/Google TV set up in basic mode, never connected to the internet, with a Apple TV hooked up with some kind of DNS filter loaded onto it. But sad that this all feels like “I would rather get kicked in the groin vs. being stabbed” choices. --- ## Post 3 by @RandomRandomly — 2026-09-07T17:07:04Z > **[LG Isn't the Only TV Company Spying on You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvFu343KNek)** > > Whoops! Are you sure that you want to disable data collection on your TV? Walmart, Roku, and other TV companies sure would love for you not to. It may mean m... Another video related to same topic (Not sure was this video already linked to forum) --- ## Post 4 by @Breeze7846 — 2026-09-07T17:19:42Z I mean in knew smart TVs were bad… But wow this somehow managed to sink my low expectations. Damn thing is just waiting to connect to internet to upload audio logs and hashes of what you did over HDMI. Even if you never connect it, it’s just a problem waiting to happen as soon as some dumb guest connects it to wifi --- ## Post 5 by @Expert4870 — 2026-09-07T18:58:20Z Hopefully this inspires someone to make a good replacement somehow but there should be a consumer-friendly tv you can just buy. --- ## Post 6 by @whatdoiputhere — 2026-09-07T19:26:41Z do old lgs do this? (20 years i think) --- ## Post 7 by @Aslop1 — 2026-09-08T02:12:35Z Whoa, this is so much worse than I thought. I’m completely unplugging the TV when I travel now. --- ## Post 8 by @SwampTrainer — 2026-09-08T05:25:12Z Realistically, you should unplug the TV when you’re HOME and not watching it. Edit: For the interested [0650 TV-Video Cut Off Timer - AES Corporation](https://aes-corp.com/government/product-item/0650-tv-video-cut-off-timer/) --- ## Post 9 by @maqp — 2026-09-08T06:31:37Z The TVs are being sold at a loss meaning very few companies are able to compete with large manufacturers. Dumb TVs also won’t be an option a few years from now as it’s cheaper to reuse old production lines and their chips. But you don’t really need to watch linear TV with it. The age of monoculture is over. You also don’t need to watch 100 pointless Roku channels over web, or even Jellyfin over LAN. TVs will support gaming consoles until the unforeseeable future, meaning they’ll support HDMI inputs meaning they’ll support your Linux computer with all of its privacy features. You’ll just have to ensure the TV has no internet access. It rarely even needs it. Disconnect Ethernet and change your WiFi password. You can disable spying from settings but it’ll probably collect it anyway, only with “user wanted to opt out” flag set like the recent GN video on LG monitor talked about. When the TV never gets to phone home it doesn’t matter what it has collected. It just sits there on the device until it goes through the woodchipper. So my recommendation is to look for a long term solution for the TV. OLED probably isn’t burn-in proof yet. So get a good FALD mini-LED TV of decent size, 55-65", and use it until it dies, and in 10-25 years when prices go down, try to update to a microLED panel TV that doesnt require internet and then try to use it until it dies. Whatever energy this categorical fix saves, use it to write to your representative about the importance of legislation that guards civil liberties. --- ## Post 10 by @subounty — 2026-09-08T07:59:26Z Oh man, what they showed was worse than I thought. And the arrogance in some of these LG executives. My goodness, shows you how far society has gone for the worse. I’m expecting some manufacturers to capitalize on this and release “privacy focused” TVs. > [@RandomRandomly](#): > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvFu343KNek](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvFu343KNek) > > Another video related to same topic (Not sure was this video already linked to forum) I watched this one after. This is like the consumer friendly version. I’m sharing that video with friends and family who are less tech savvy. The GN video deep dives and will definitely attract more of the privacy conscious and tech savvy people. --- ## Post 11 by @subounty — 2026-09-08T08:02:30Z > [@whatdoiputhere](#): > > do old lgs do this? (20 years i think) IIRC it’s mostly TVs from the last 10 years. Though they also mentioned how TVs which didn’t have an easy way to be targeted get a firmware update and suddenly had an active advertisement ID --- ## Post 12 by @SwampTrainer — 2026-09-08T11:54:13Z > [@maqp](#): > > The TVs are being sold at a loss To be clear, the TVs are being sold below market rate as a loss leader, with the expectation that data harvested from the product will more than make up for the pricing. From LG’s perspective, and the perspective of every other large TV manufacturer, most TVs are sold as to generate income over their lifetime. It’s only the ones that never connect to the internet that ever truly are sold at a loss. --- ## Post 13 by @whatdoiputhere — 2026-09-08T12:54:22Z i dont use it much im only interested in the microphone and camera (idk if it has one) --- ## Post 14 by @maqp — 2026-09-08T19:42:22Z Yeah I meant to express something along the lines but clearly never completed the thought. Your analysis is spot on, thanks! --- ## Post 15 by @sp_rtings — 2026-09-08T23:30:32Z Thanks for the share! I worked on this investigation if you have any questions on it! We tried to hack our TVs as well with a MITM like Wendell explains at [31:23](https://youtu.be/6IFVTcM28KA?si=9n-3n3s8Jdu_119z&t=1883) but we also failed. That said, we are way less security experts than the guy Steve went to get! The firmware decompiling was a gold mine we missed out on! Super glad Gamer Nexus dig that far! For our part, we really focused about the omnipotence of ACR in all smart TVs brand, and streaming boxes. They already know what you watch everywhere. It also seems like they can also listen to their hearts desires as well! --- ## Post 16 by @JibJab — 2026-09-10T15:30:04Z I opted out of ACR and all user agreements during initial setup of my 4-yo LG. It did an OTA update soon after but not since. I don’t see a way to disable OTA. Never connected over ethernet or WI-FI. According to its own settings there’s no network or WI-FI connectivity at all. Its only ever been connected via an Amazon Firestick running Proton VPN. Its powered off when not in use. I still don’t trust but I’m nobody :ghost: so who cares? --- ## Post 17 by @iliacus — 2026-09-12T16:16:14Z I wonder if using a dedicated guest WiFi network for the TV, combined with a Pi-hole blocking all of the undesirable connections, would still allow the TV to function whilst cutting off that data collection? --- ## Post 18 by @RandomRandomly — 2026-09-12T19:02:49Z LG response to Gamers Nexus video > **[LG’s Manipulative, Gaslighting Response to GN Report](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToP9xfLDSME)** > > SUPPORT US in our DATA DRAGNET series: https://store.gamersnexus.net/data-dragnetLG has responded to our deep-dive investigation revealing the depths of LG S... --- ## Post 19 by @sp_rtings — 2026-09-14T13:44:44Z For our study on ACR, we’ve tested the DNS block with Pihole. It really depends on the TV brand and OS. For some, the analytics servers are clearly identified and can be blocked. My favorite example of this is Samsung’s “[log-ingestion.samsungacr.com](http://log-ingestion.samsungacr.com)”. But there are other TVs that mixed analytics servers with functionalities, meaning blocking the server will break some features. The only TVs we could clearly identify ACR traffic were the Samsung S95F OLED, Sony Bravia 8 II, and LG G5. That said, I’m only talking about ACR here. There are other ways that TV suck your personal data, and apart from putting them offline, I don’t think there is a fool-proof way to completely block it. But, if you are ok with some compromise between privacy and functionality, then yes, DNS block can help with some TVs. I’m sorry I can’t offer a better recommendation than this! --- ## Post 20 by @iliacus — 2026-09-15T16:16:28Z That’s really good information, thank you! I think eventually I’ll end up using large monitors instead of TVs, though I think even they are starting to go the same way. Thanks for the info! --- ## Post 21 by @sp_rtings — 2026-09-15T19:09:44Z Good call! Enjoy the monitors before they totally enshitificates! It’s already starting! --- ## Post 22 by @iliacus — 2026-09-15T19:23:34Z Can only hope that more people get wise to rampant data collection and market forces create alternatives. --- ## Post 23 by @ph00lt0 — 2026-09-15T19:35:02Z I already hated LG for their horrible software quality, but oh boy.. --- ## Post 24 by @racky — 2026-09-16T08:08:43Z Adding to @sp_rtings 's answer: Smart TV manufacturers and tech companies certainly have noticed trends to use DNS blockers, so unfortunately I suspect situation becomes worse and Pi-hole won’t be sufficient. - They use hardcoded, public DNS servers to circumvent local DNS blocker =\> You need to block port 53 (oc with Pi-hole as exception) or redirect requests to it. - They use DNS over TLD (DoT) =\> You need to block port 853. - They use DNS over HTTPS (DoH) =\> You need to get a blacklist for these servers, as not distinguishable from normal HTTPS traffic; Or get a deep packet inspection firewall. - They use plain, static IP addresses to circumvent any DNS resolution at all =\> You need some kind of IP whitelist in the firewall. These aren’t easy tasks to accomplish technically, as they require knowledge about firewalls. For most people, disconnecting TV and using a Linux box or a Raspberry Pi with Kodi for IPTV and media probably is the easiest solution. Even then, my suspicion is, that battle continues: - They try to connect to public or vendor-shared Wi-Fi hotspots, if available =\> You need to get a Wi-Fi jammer or connect TV to “black hole” Wi-Fi SSID without internet access. - They install a cheap SIM card into TV or try alternative connection techniques (like Bluetooth tethering) =\> Let’s call out these suckers publicly. - They require TV to be internet connected to work at all =\> Let’s call out these suckers publicly. Obviously ad-tech industry is creepy enough (= lots of money to earn from our data) to try out the most sophisticated tracking methods. --- ## Post 25 by @iluvprivacy — 2026-09-16T16:43:23Z Can you post all of the LG, Samsung, and Sony domains and IPs that you’ve confirmed to block tracking and can safely be blocked without affecting the functionality of the TV? --- ## Post 26 by @EsperZero — 2026-09-16T17:08:57Z Gamer Nexus has added a new section that is relevant to forums like this one! (that’s right it’s privacy). Reason it’s relevant is because he said it is inspired by the LG Documentary/Investigation > **[Valve Steam Frame VR Review vs. Meta Quest 3 | Privacy, Latency, & Benchmarks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcerOYY_K1g&t=8m28s)** > > SPONSOR: Lexar Play MicroSD Cards on Amazon: https://geni.us/fUQYvq and Play Pro on Amazon https://geni.us/WC89AOThe Valve Steam Frame's launch price is $106... > **[Select instance - Invidious](https://redirect.invidious.io/watch?v=vcerOYY_K1g&t=8m28s)** Makes you wonder if he’ll ever make a Privacy Guides account, only time will tell --- ## Post 27 by @sp_rtings — 2026-09-17T01:01:56Z > Can you post all of the LG, Samsung, and Sony domains and IPs that you’ve confirmed to block tracking and can safely be blocked without affecting the functionality of the TV? Sure! | Sony Bravia 8 ii | [dpn.cid.samba.tv](http://dpn.cid.samba.tv) [events.cid.samba.tv](http://events.cid.samba.tv) [fling.cid.samba.tv](http://fling.cid.samba.tv) | | --- | --- | | Samsung s95f | [log-ingestion.samsungacr.com](http://log-ingestion.samsungacr.com) [acr-us-prd.samsungcloud.tv](http://acr-us-prd.samsungcloud.tv) | | LG G5 | [tkacr771.alphonso.tv](http://tkacr771.alphonso.tv) | But even better: If you have a Pihole, you can find premade lists that includes a lot more domains that covers a lot more products. The one I have in my sights that seems pretty popular and have the domains I found is this one: [GitHub - zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists: Pre-built, deduplicated Pi-hole blocklists merged from 35 curated sources — a 2.4M+ domain master list plus advertising, tracking, malware/phishing, suspicious, and NSFW categories. Hosts format, rebuilt weekly. · GitHub](https://github.com/zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists/tree/main). However, I haven’t been able to test it personally yet… I’m in the middle of really slowly upgrading my home lab and haven’t took the 5 minutes to set back up my Pihole as of now. --- ## Post 28 by @iluvprivacy — 2026-09-17T01:17:18Z Do you use AdGuard DNS, Control D, or NextDNS? I wonder if their blocklists, such as from HaGeZi, block those domains? --- ## Post 29 by @sp_rtings — 2026-09-17T13:01:21Z I personally use Pihole, and that’s what I leaned on during our study. PiHole allows full customization of the blocklist, so you can add/remove whatever domain you want from the list. I would expect other DNS blocker to let you do so as well. If they don’t, I would expect them to provide preset list of tracking/advertising domains. And if they still don’t, use another DNS blocker! --- ## Post 30 by @Encounter5729 — 2026-09-23T09:46:48Z > [@sp_rtings](#): > > PiHole allows full customization of the blocklist, so you can add/remove whatever domain you want from the list. The issue is it was shown LG will connect to open wifi. You can’t control whether a neighbor will pop up a open hotspot from their phone --- ## Post 31 by @sp_rtings — 2026-09-23T17:18:44Z Hi! Do you know where I can find proof of the LG connecting to an open Wi-Fi? I tested it myself over 4 days and couldn’t find any proof of it. I tested it with 6 different brands of smart TVs with an open Wi-Fi network that I monitored with Wireshark. So far, I haven’t been able to spot any device connecting to the open Wi-Fi. There’s a bunch of reason why I couldn’t have seen the connection, so I’m looking for people who were able to confirm the behavior, so I can replicate it myself with all TV brands to spot the bad ones. Thanks! --- ## Post 32 by @Bluetacked — 2026-09-23T23:26:54Z My _feeling_ of this is that it’s one of those cases of exaggeration in SOME areas for example the open wi-fi thing where it’d be scanning open wi-fi for geolocation and they’re calling this “connecting” for clickbait, but not actually connecting to it as in establishing an IP address and sending data. If anything that’s more frustrating as there ARE some very serious privacy issues with LG sets. Enough that I don’t allow mine on the network at all as I don’t trust the “off” switch for ACR and I have my PC hooked up to HDMI. But when there are wild claims it discredits those real concerns. Probably the same with the mic. Mine is only in my remote, and the 2xAA batteries in it can’t do miracles in terms of all-day monitoring. But even if built into the TV I would bet that it’s just hearing things for a few seconds after what it thought was a wake word - the same reason people accused Apple devices of spying on them after being daft enough to leave “improve siri” and “respond to siri” enabled in the bedroom. Again there ARE plenty of legit reasons to be concerned about LG’s spyware riddled TVs though. Are Panasonic still decent, that’s what I had before the smarts. --- ## Post 33 by @SwampTrainer — 2026-09-25T05:32:47Z Since it’s assumed that many other TV manufactures do this, it’s worth noting that it’s possible not all TVs have microphones based on SIZE. From a [Samsung QLED TV manual](https://www.scribd.com/document/940670817/BN68-20833E-00-SUG-Y25-TV-ALL-ZA-ENG-250224-0), not the website, only TVs 70 inches and larger have a microphone on them to be turned off. Which doesn’t mean you can’t turn it off on the smaller models, that there isn’t one to be turned off (tested on a 60-inch model - I can’t enable the voice modes, it’s off by default). So if you’re not buying a huge TV, these companies don’t seem to care about you :pleading_face: So that’s… well, not sure what, but it might at least give some of us a bit of cold comfort. --- ## Post 34 by @Encounter5729 — 2026-09-25T07:01:49Z > [@sp_rtings](#): > > ! Do you know where I can find proof of the LG connecting to an open Wi-Fi? It appears it doesn’t yet. But it should be included in a threat model. [LG TV shown scanning LAN for third-party phones and other devices - Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/lg-tv-shown-capable-of-tracking-user-activity-even-when-offline/) --- ## Post 35 by @overdrawn98901 — 2026-09-25T14:26:41Z What’s the alternative for streaming then? Attach a Roku to an LG TV and disable the internet connection on the LG TV? Assuming I don’t have a blue ray player or a Jellyfin instance.