When you’re on a video call with your team, the last thing on your mind is the smart TV sitting across the room. Maybe you use it as a second monitor, or it’s just there for background noise while you knock out a spreadsheet. But that TV—especially if it’s an LG model—might be paying more attention than you realize. And the attention isn’t limited to what’s on screen.
Most of what’s documented here comes from a detailed investigation by the YouTube channels Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs, working with two security analysts, and subsequent reporting by outlets like Android Authority and CNET. The findings are worth understanding if your workspace shares a room with a smart TV.
What the investigation actually found
The researchers behind the Gamers Nexus video demonstrated that LG smart TVs can capture audio using built‑in microphones and webcams even when the TV is in standby mode or the screen is switched off. More concerning: a TV that had been disconnected from the internet still recorded audio locally, then uploaded those files to LG’s servers the moment it reconnected. The team also showed that a man‑in‑the‑middle attack could turn the TV into a remote listening device, even with the onboard microphone supposedly disabled. They retrieved plain‑text transcripts of conversations and a list of IP addresses of every device on the home network.
According to the investigation, the TV’s microphone can remain active in standby. If your home office doubles as a living room, that means every conversation—work calls, side chatter with family, background noise—could be captured and stored locally until an internet connection becomes available.
LG has responded forcefully, stating that its smart TVs “do not collect or record ambient conversations” and that voice processing only begins when the user activates it via a wake‑word or the voice button on the remote. The company also notes that the TV’s ability to scan for nearby devices on the same network is a standard smart‑TV function, not a backdoor. But the investigation’s demonstration of offline recording and later upload suggests there’s a gap between what LG says and what the hardware can do in practice.
Automatic Content Recognition vs. eavesdropping
Part of the confusion comes from a feature called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), which LG markets under the name Live Plus. ACR uses audio fingerprinting—a digital signature extracted by the TV’s internal audio processor—to identify what you’re watching or listening to. It does not take screenshots, video captures, or raw audio recordings of your conversations. The fingerprint is compared against a media library to determine the show, movie, or ad, and that data can be used for audience segmentation and targeted advertising.
LG emphasises that ACR is optional, turned off by default, and requires explicit consent. Voice recognition, too, is opt‑in and disabled by default. When it is active, the TV listens locally for a wake‑word like “Hi TV.” If no wake‑word is detected, no voice data is transmitted to a server. A voice session automatically ends after about 10 seconds of silence and is limited to roughly 18 seconds total.
When your workspace is also your living room, every little beep or flicker from the TV can feel like a surveillance signal. You don’t need to be paranoid to want a clear answer—and the back‑and‑forth between investigation findings and corporate denials doesn’t make that easy.
Still, the investigation’s key point stands: the TV’s hardware can record audio locally without an internet connection, and that data can be uploaded later. Whether that constitutes “eavesdropping” depends on how you define the term, but for a remote worker sharing sensitive call information in the same room, the practical risk is the same.
How those settings got turned on
Most people don’t read privacy agreements during a TV setup. You’re focused on screen size, HDMI ports, and getting to the first episode of whatever you’re streaming. Setup screens present multiple agreements in a row, and it’s easy to keep hitting “Agree” just to reach the home screen. That’s how Live Plus—LG’s ACR feature—can become enabled without your realising it.
Android Authority notes that technical consent (clicking a button) is different from actual understanding of what data is collected and how it’s used. If you accepted the User Agreements during quick setup, you may have inadvertently switched on not only ACR but also interest‑based advertising and cross‑device tracking. Each of those requires separate consent, but they’re often bundled into the same “Accept all” flow.
Open Settings → General → System → Additional Settings. If you see “Live Plus” (or “Auto Content Recognition”), it’s active. You can turn it off directly. Alternatively, go to Settings → Support → Privacy & Terms → User Agreements and withdraw consent from the Viewing Information Agreement, Voice Information Agreement, and Internet‑based Advertising Agreement. LG also provides a privacy statement at lg.com.
Practical steps to secure your TV
The most straightforward fix is to disconnect the TV from the internet entirely. If you use it only as a monitor—for a gaming console, a streaming stick, or a laptop—there’s no reason for it to have Wi‑Fi or Ethernet access. Turning off Wi‑Fi stops background data collection processes, including the offline recording and later upload that the investigation highlighted.
If you do need the TV online for streaming apps, at least disable ACR and voice features. The settings are buried but accessible. Beyond that, consider replacing the TV with a “dumb” monitor or a streaming device that doesn’t include a microphone. Android Authority has covered the concept of a dumb Android TV as an alternative.
- Turn off Wi‑Fi in TV network settings if you don’t need streaming.
- Disable Live Plus (ACR) under Settings → General → System → Additional Settings.
- Withdraw consent for Viewing Information, Voice Information, and Interest‑based Advertising agreements.
- If you keep the TV online, consider putting it on a separate VLAN or guest network to limit network‑level data collection.
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What about other devices?
LG isn’t alone. Almost all smart TVs and streaming devices use some form of automatic content recognition to target ads based on viewing habits. Apple’s “always listening” Audio Intelligence feature, for example, explicitly doesn’t let the company access users’ raw audio, but the distinction between fingerprinting and recording can be hard to track. For remote workers, the safest approach is to treat any internet‑connected device in your workspace as a potential data collector and apply the same privacy hygiene you would to your laptop.
That means reviewing permissions on every device, using encrypted communication tools, and ensuring your home network is segmented. The Remote IT teams need secure home‑work data guidelines article on this site covers how to set up network boundaries, and remote employees can prioritize data security with simple steps like disabling unnecessary features.
One more thing: an unprotected computer or router is still a far more likely target than a smart TV. The investigation’s findings are serious, but they don’t change the fact that your laptop and smartphone have far more direct access to your work data. Keep those updated, use strong passwords, and treat the TV as one piece of a larger privacy puzzle.
I’ve never been entirely comfortable with the idea of a device that’s always listening for a wake‑word, even if it’s supposed to forget the audio after a few seconds. The Gamers Nexus investigation suggests that “forgetting” isn’t as clean as companies claim. For me, the easiest fix was to pull the network cable from the TV and use it as a plain monitor. It’s one less thing to wonder about during a conference call.
Your TV might not be listening right now. But if you haven’t checked the settings, you don’t really know. A few minutes in the menus can save you a lot of second‑guessing later.