Researcher Says Samsung TVs May Listen Through Connected Soundbars
Summary
A researcher alleges a Samsung TV collected room audio, geolocation, and network data, potentially using connected soundbars. The claims are unverified; the article also discusses ACR-related legal actions and privacy settings.
Key points
- A researcher using the name log4j alleges that a 2025 Samsung TV used an “always on voice” package to detect sounds and report events to Samsung.
- The researcher claims TVs without microphones may use connected soundbars or Bluetooth microphones to listen.
- Other allegations include geolocation collection, local-network mapping, and analysis of viewing habits; these claims have not been independently verified.
- Samsung advertises some AI TV features that detect dogs barking or babies crying, but this does not confirm the researcher’s claims about the package or its reporting.
- The article cites ACR-related legal actions, including a Texas settlement requiring express consent before collecting or processing Texans’ ACR viewing data.
- The article suggests disabling ACR, internet-based advertising, and voice recognition where possible; disconnecting Wi-Fi is another option, but removes internet-based TV features.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Privacy and data-collection allegations involving Samsung smart TVs, with regulatory and class-action scrutiny of automatic content recognition (ACR).
- Impact
- Researcher log4j alleges that a Samsung TV collected room audio, including through connected devices, and gathered geolocation, local-network, and viewing data; these claims have not been independently verified. Separately, Samsung agreed in a settlement with the Texas Attorney General to obtain Texans’ express consent before collecting or processing ACR viewing data. A New York class-action complaint making additional ACR allegations was voluntarily dismissed, while a California complaint filed this month accuses Samsung Electronics America of insufficient transparency about ACR data collection.
People
Ken PaxtonTexas Attorney General who reached a settlement with Samsung requiring express consent from Texans before collection or processing of ACR viewing data.log4jReverse engineer who says they investigated a 2025 Samsung TV and found audio collection and other data-gathering behavior; the claims have not been independently verified.
Vendors
Googleto its corporate advertising clients, and (b) providing it to third-party advertising companies such as Google and X (f/k/a Twitter) for targeted advertising.”SamsungA reverse engineer claims that their Samsung smart TV has been collecting audio without their consent.XThe researcher, who calls themselves “log4j,” said in an X thread that their 2025 Samsung TV was delivering ads that seemed suspiciously relevant to them. Investigating, they claim to have found a package called “always