Researchers spent 500 hours and $70,000 and found LG TVs logging plain text transcripts in standby, mapping every device in the house, and feeding it to LG's ad arm [includes Grok summary]

X.com ^ | September 9, 2026 | Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal

[ransomnote]

Mario Nawfal

@MarioNawfal

·
17h

Researchers spent 500 hours and $70,000 and found LG TVs logging plain text transcripts in standby, mapping every device in the house, and feeding it to LG's ad arm

Unplug the internet and it saves the files until you plug back in.

LG says its TVs don't record ambient conversations.

The evidence begs to differ.

216 million of these are sitting in living rooms.

Where are the regulators?

Writer: Daniel
https://x.com/Braiinsforge/s

~~~~

Grok's explanatory summary:

• Mario Nawfal's post summarizes a Gamers Nexus investigation showing LG smart TVs scan home networks for devices like phones and smartwatches, log voice inputs as plain-text transcripts, and send data to LG Ad Solutions.
• Tests revealed the TVs continue capturing and locally storing microphone audio in standby or when unplugged from the internet, uploading it later, contradicting LG's statements that they do not record ambient conversations unless voice features are actively triggered.
• The report estimates 216 million LG TVs in use worldwide, sparking widespread discussion on privacy risks, data practices in consumer electronics, and the need for stronger oversight of smart device telemetry.

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: 1984truth; nobodyaskedyou

[ckilmer]

personally I’m offended by commercials that just assume that I’m a cat person from mars.

[TexasGunLover]

This has been going on since mid-90’s cable boxes. There is no privacy and has not been any since the mid 90’s. Whether you use a VPN, block cookies, use TOR, pay with cash or otherwise, any privacy is just an illusion.

[fruser1]

Can we get a list of politicians with these TVs?

[Rural_Michigan]

Well, I guess I’ll keep my 2012 Sharp model. Until it dies. Then I’ll just stop watching TV.

[dfwgator]

"In America, television watches you."

[GingisK]

So, it WAS actually better that TVs warm up rather boot up.

[quantim]

Saw this a couple days ago, it’s worse. The testing guys were able to get the TV play back their recorded voices when the TV was off. Along with your WiFi accounts and other things that use your router/WiFI data. Will never by an LG product ever again.

[Gunslingr3]

This has been going on since mid-90’s cable boxes.

Mid-90's cable boxes did not have microphones that recorded what was said in the house and then sent the contents over the wire to the cable company.

[dynachrome]

My Vizio TV told me this is not true.

[StormEye]

I'm sure many US government installations have LG TVs
all over the place. Dr's offices, business conference rooms,
and manufacturing plants etc. I would bet it's a
massive spy operation by some country. What country would
do such a thing? Hmm?

[packrat35]

I have 5 cats but I don’t watch any channels with commercials, so I miss those.

[packrat35]

Who could it be?

[SunkenCiv]

I think I posted something a while back, a tech video link about a cheap wifi extender that uploaded everything surfed to a faceless server in China. LG will at least address this now that they've been pantsed. And given the amount of CCP outsourcing done by the Republic of Korea, they probably didn't even know it was there.

• Disconnect your LG television from the internet, now [09/07/2026]

[SunkenCiv]

BTW, as I think I mentioned at the time, I ran some cables around to pick up the Roku Ultra and the Roku TV upstairs and removed the Netgear Nighthawk from my system. No more wifi in the house, system runs better. Soon the faux-fiber will be upgraded (can't fool me, they hooked into the coax trunk) and/or I'll drop the local service and switch to Starlink.

[SunkenCiv]

The old king of online services, Prodigy, was pulling something similar, snooping in user hard drives to see what apps were there, and when they were ‘outed’ by some techies, well, the brand is now #1 in Mexico. I see nothing about this on the wikiwacky.

[unixfox]

Flock TV’s

Who woulda thunk.

[Texas resident]

A wife told a joke to her husband.

He laughed.
Siri laughed.
Alexa laughed.

[Sirius Lee]

Or so you think. The folks who are in charge of missing time also can change clocks.

[so_real]

We've reached the point where we can pay a television manufacturer to produce a marketing list for us to sell products to every gal in the nation who just had a baby, is no longer able to make babies, or might have just made a baby with someone other than her husband.

How many times have I repeated the WiFi password out loud in front of my spouse, and can the government by that list?

Scary times. We need companies to start publishing their *real* privacy stance and vote for the ethical ones with our dollars.