LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices
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Gamers Nexus 最近与 Level1Techs 和独立安全研究人员合作进行的一项调查揭示了嵌入在 LG 智能电视中的令人担忧的数据收集行为。对包括 OLED G5 在内的零售机型的测试表明，这些电视会主动扫描本地网络以映射其他联网设备。通过使用 Wireshark 捕获网络数据包，研究人员发现电视会识别附近的设备（如智能手机和智能手表），并记录邻近 Wi‑Fi 网络的名称、信号强度以及位置信息。
这种大规模的数据收集似乎整合到了 LG Ad Solutions（公司的定向广告部门）。虽然 Automated Content Recognition（ACR）作为对屏幕音视频进行取样以生成数字指纹的技术早已为人所知，但这项新研究表明其监控范围远比此前认知的更广。该广告部门声称能接触到数以亿计的可寻址设备，这主要通过追踪与电视处于同一家庭网络的其它硬件实现。
更令人不安的是，调查发现这些电视即便在屏幕处于待机状态时仍会持续采集音频。在台架测试中，研究人员观察到电视在看似不活动时依然录得清晰的麦克风音频。如果电视与互联网断开，它会将语音输入保存在本地，待网络重连后再将这些文件上传到远程服务器。
除此之外，研究团队还在 webOS 中发现了多个远程代码执行漏洞，目前这些问题正通过负责任的漏洞披露程序处理。鉴于内置网络扫描和数据收集的激进性，研究人员建议消费者考虑完全断开 LG 智能电视的互联网连接，并改用外接且更安全的流媒体设备。 LG 尚未就此事发表评论。
A recent investigation by Gamers Nexus, conducted in collaboration with Level1Techs and independent security researchers, has revealed concerning data collection practices embedded in LG smart TVs. Testing performed on retail models, including the OLED G5, indicates that these televisions actively scan local networks to map other connected hardware. By utilizing network packet captures via Wireshark, researchers discovered that the TVs identify nearby devices like smartphones and smartwatches, while also logging the names and signal strengths of neighboring Wi-Fi networks along with location data.
This extensive data gathering appears to be integrated into LG Ad Solutions, the company's targeted advertising division. While Automated Content Recognition (ACR) has long been known as a method for sampling on-screen audio and video to generate digital fingerprints, this new research shows the scope of surveillance is significantly broader than previously understood. The ad division claims to have access to hundreds of millions of addressable devices, largely by tracking other hardware found on the same home network as the television.
Perhaps most alarmingly, the investigation found that these TVs continue to capture audio even when the screen is powered down in standby mode. During bench tests, researchers observed that the sets recorded clean microphone audio while seemingly inactive. If the television was disconnected from the internet, it would store this voice input locally and upload the collected files to remote servers once a network connection was re-established.
In addition to these tracking behaviors, the research team identified several remote code execution vulnerabilities within webOS. These findings are currently moving through a responsible disclosure process. Given the aggressive nature of the built-in network scanning and data harvesting, the researchers have advised consumers to consider disconnecting their LG smart TVs from the internet entirely, suggesting the use of external, more secure streaming devices instead. LG has not yet provided a comment regarding these revelations.
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• LG 智能电视进行了激进的遥测数据采集，包括网络扫描、音频录制和屏幕指纹识别，这些行为常常绕过用户许可，即便关闭网络功能仍会继续。
• 许多现代电视使用 Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) 来识别并记录观看内容，这种做法在过去曾因未明确披露而导致 FTC 对 Vizio 措施。
• 人们持续担心这些设备可能通过附近不安全的 Wi‑Fi 或 IoT mesh 协议尝试绕过隔离，将数据泄露到厂商服务器。
• 禁用互联网接入仍是最有效的防御手段，尽管这会限制部分功能，因此越来越多用户倾向使用 Apple TV 、 Nvidia Shield 或小型 PC 等专用且更易控制的流媒体设备。
• 行业内已把"smart"电视常态化为一种以广告补贴为目的的监控平台：用户成为商品，硬件只是庞大分析与数据销售网络中的一个节点。
• 虽有人建议通过 VLAN 隔离、防火墙规则或硬件改造（例如移除麦克风）等技术手段应对，但普遍观点认为这些对普通消费者不足以解决根本问题，且将用户置于与自有硬件对立的境地。
• 有人把 GDPR 等法律框架和拟议的网络安全法规视为唯一可行的遏制手段，但对是否存在足够政治意愿去针对强大的跨国公司执行这些法规仍存质疑。
• 也有人认为把所有后台活动一概定性为"恶意"有些夸张，因为部分进程确与语音搜索界面或设备预期功能相关，但缺乏透明度仍然是核心争议点。
• 跟踪行为在消费电子中的普遍性越来越多地被比作历史上的监控国家；批评者认为企业的"羞耻时代"已结束，这类做法已成为可预见的经营成本。
• 目前市场上缺乏高质量的非 smart 显示器替代品，用户不得不在落后的旧技术与配备现代高端面板但内置侵入性软件的设备之间做出妥协。
此次讨论反映出人们对于将电视转变为优先服务企业数据采集而非保护用户隐私的精密监控设备的深切沮丧。虽然熟悉技术的用户主张通过网络隔离和硬件改造来自保，但明显共识是：面对根植于监控资本主义的系统性问题，这些只是不可持续的权宜之计。对现有法规的有效性普遍抱持怀疑，许多参与者认为，只有严格且切实执行的法律制裁，或者彻底回归非 smart 原生硬件，才能真正迫使厂商尊重消费者自主权。 • LG smart TVs engage in aggressive telemetry collection, including network scanning, audio recording, and screen fingerprinting, often bypassing user consent or persisting even when network functions are disabled.
• Many modern TVs use Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to identify and log content being viewed, a practice that historically led to FTC action against Vizio for tracking users without clear disclosure.
• Concerns persist that these devices may attempt to circumvent isolation by leveraging nearby unsecured Wi-Fi networks or IoT mesh protocols to exfiltrate collected data to manufacturer servers.
• Disabling internet access remains the most effective defense, though it limits functionality for some, leading users to prefer dedicated, more controllable devices like Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, or small form-factor PCs for streaming.
• The industry has normalized the "smart" television as an ad-subsidized surveillance platform, where the user is the product and the hardware serves as a node in a massive profiling and data-selling network.
• While some suggest technical workarounds like VLAN isolation, firewall rules, or hardware modifications (e.g., removing microphones), there is widespread consensus that these measures are insufficient for the average consumer and constitute an adversarial relationship with the hardware they own.
• Legal frameworks like the GDPR and proposed cybersecurity regulations are viewed by some as the only viable path to curb these practices, though skepticism remains regarding the political will to enforce them against powerful global corporations.
• Arguments persist that characterizing all background activity as "malicious" may be overreaching, as some processes are tied to voice-search UI or expected device features, yet the lack of transparency remains a major point of contention.
• The prevalence of tracking in consumer electronics is increasingly compared to historical surveillance states, with critics arguing that the "age of shame" for corporations is over and that such behavior is now treated as a predictable cost of doing business.
• The market currently lacks high-quality, non-smart display alternatives, forcing users to choose between inferior older technology or accepting the invasive software layers inherent in modern, high-end display panels.
The discussion reflects deep-seated frustration with the transformation of televisions into sophisticated surveillance appliances that prioritize corporate data harvesting over user privacy. While technical users advocate for network isolation and hardware modifications, there is a clear consensus that these are unsustainable stopgaps for a systemic issue rooted in surveillance capitalism. A profound skepticism persists regarding the effectiveness of current regulations, with many participants concluding that only severe, strictly enforced legal penalties—or a complete shift away from smart-native hardware—will compel manufacturers to respect consumer autonomy.