LG Smart TVs Found Recording Audio and Scanning Networks While Screen Off
Original: LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices
Why This Matters
Findings raise serious privacy concerns for the estimated 216 million LG smart TV users globally.
Gamers Nexus published a 135-minute investigation showing LG smart TVs running webOS actively scan local networks for nearby devices, log voice audio in plain text during standby, and upload stored data when internet is restored. Retail LG OLED models including the G5 were tested.
An investigation by Gamers Nexus, conducted alongside Level1Techs and independent security researchers, revealed that LG smart TVs engage in extensive data collection beyond what users are typically aware of. Network packet captures via Wireshark showed the TVs actively scanning local area networks to identify unrelated devices such as phones and smartwatches, collecting internal IP addresses, neighboring Wi-Fi network names, signal strengths, and location data. This data feeds into LG Ad Solutions, LG's targeted advertising division, which claims access to 363 million secondary addressable devices in the US alone — a figure derived from tracking hardware on the same networks as LG's approximately 216 million smart TVs sold globally. The sets also run Automated Content Recognition (ACR), which samples on-screen audio and video as digital fingerprints. New bench testing found the TVs can capture clean microphone audio even when the screen appears powered off in standby mode. When disconnected from Ethernet, the TV continued saving voice input locally and uploaded the files once reconnected. Researchers also identified remote code execution vulnerabilities in webOS, currently undergoing responsible disclosure. The team recommends disconnecting LG TVs from the internet entirely and using external streaming devices. LG had not commented as of publication.