LG "smart" TVs logging USB filenames viewed

[LibertyBeacon]

DoctorBeet's Blog: LG Smart TVs logging USB filenames and viewing info to LG servers

After some investigation, I found a rather creepy corporate video advertising their data collection practices to potential advertisers. It's quite long but a sample of their claims are as follows:
LG Smart Ad analyses users favourite programs, online behaviour, search keywords and other information to offer relevant ads to target audiences. For example, LG Smart Ad can feature sharp suits to men, or alluring cosmetics and fragrances to women.

Furthermore, LG Smart Ad offers useful and various advertising performance reports. That live broadcasting ads cannot. To accurately identify actual advertising effectiveness.

In fact, there is an option in the system settings called "Collection of watching info:" which is set ON by default. This setting requires the user to scroll down to see it and, unlike most other settings, contains no "balloon help" to describe what it does.

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I think it's important to point out that the URL that the data is being POSTed to doesn't in fact exist, you can see this from the HTTP 404 response in the next response from LG's server after the ACK.

It's important to point out that a web server can be programmed to return a 404 even after the info is POSTed.

Or it could be an infrastructure that isn't completely built out yet and is waiting on further development once a critical mass of "check ins" have started occurring on the regular.

 

[czygvtwkr]

so dont name your beastality video "woman_and_horsec*ck.avi"

 

[GWguy]

I'd be very surprised if this isn't already happening in your cable box/DVR.

 

[LibertyBeacon]

I'd be very surprised if this isn't already happening in your cable box/DVR.

Sure, since you have to ask for the content through a menu system they certainly have access to that data. It's all about owning your eyeballs, so certainly they want to target advertising based on your viewing preferences. I don't have cable, therefore don't know what sort of USB playback capability they put in them, but my default stance would be one of no expectation of privacy since it's their gear and mostly a closed/blackbox system.

I've never had cable, but I'd imagine if one reads the small print in the service agreement, it's all outlined there. I have no problem with that since they are telling you up front. This case seems particularly pernicious since data are shipped off, apparently, even if you have that feature set to "OFF".