This week, prominent tech YouTubers Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs, along with independent security researchers, published detailed investigations into how LG smart TVs log and upload data on their users. The findings raised alarms about the extent of audio recording and data collection happening on LG's webOS platform.
The investigations found that LG TVs were keeping extensive logs of ambient conversations — going well beyond what one would expect from wake-word detection. Evidence suggested the TVs continued capturing audio data after the AI assistant appeared to have stopped listening.
LG responded with a statement claiming the reports were misleading. The company said its TVs do not continuously record or transmit users' conversations and that wake-word detection is processed entirely locally. However, the qualifier continuously is notable, as the Gamers Nexus investigation documented extensive audio logging that persisted well beyond brief wake-word interactions.
LG also emphasized that features like Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), voice recognition, and interest-based advertising are optional and not enabled by default. The company said ACR uses audio fingerprinting through the TV's internal processor — not a microphone — to identify content and does not capture screenshots, recordings, or voice data.
Critics, including the original researchers, noted that LG's response sidestepped several key concerns: how much data is ultimately collected and retained, who it is shared with, the potential for third-party exploitation, and the deliberately confusing way privacy options are presented to users during initial TV setup.
The controversy comes amid broader scrutiny of always-on devices in living rooms. Smart TVs from multiple manufacturers have faced similar questions about data collection, but the detailed technical evidence in this case — backed by packet captures and logging analysis — has made it one of the most concrete demonstrations of the issue to date.
