LG denies claims that its TVs listen to their surroundings and log data even when offline

Some pretty serious privacy claims about smart TVs have been floating around, and LG has just pushed back hard.

It started with a long investigation from the YouTube channel Gamers Nexus, made with security researchers, that looked closely at LG smart TVs. The video claimed the sets keep logging and uploading data even when they’re offline or in standby, scan the local Wi-Fi network, pick up audio, and identify other devices on the home network.

The researchers said the built-in mic could still capture ambient sound while the TV looked like it was switched off, with that audio stored locally and possibly sent later. They backed it up with packet captures and firmware analysis, and also talked about Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) tech used to identify what’s on screen.

LG responded in a statement to Tom’s Hardware and basically said the main claims aren’t true. According to the company, its TVs only process voice data in two specific situations: when you press and hold the voice button on the remote, or when the far-field voice recognition feature is turned on and it hears the wake word (“Hi LG”).

Outside of those cases, LG says the TVs do not collect or record ambient conversations. Any audio used just for detecting the wake word stays on the device and gets deleted if there’s no match, nothing is sent to LG’s servers.

LG did admit that its smart TVs can scan for other devices on the same local network. It called this a normal feature that lots of smart TVs and connected home products use to handle device connections and content sharing. On the ACR side, the company said it’s an optional setting that needs user consent and can be turned off. Data from ACR isn’t used for advertising unless you specifically allow it.

LG stressed that users still control the privacy settings and that security is something they keep monitoring and updating. They didn’t respond to every single secondary claim in the video, but the statement clearly focuses on the biggest privacy worry, continuous eavesdropping, and tries to reassure people that isn’t happening.

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