Topic: Smart TVs, smart devices, and TV apps
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By Rasmus Larsen
#16913
All of the smart TVs are snooping for one or another purpose. Amazon, Google and Roku want to serve you ads. Samsung, LG and others want to "monetize" the platforms, which also involves serving targeted ads based on your behavior (not necessarily on the TV screen). Most modern TVs use ACR (automatic content recognition) so they can analyse everything on screen. If you want to be sure not to have data transmitted from the TV, the best option is probably to just disconnect it. However, be aware that some TVs (such as Android TVs) cannot be set-up without an internet connection.

In my opinion, a PC is not the best option for video streaming. It's flexible and powerful but not very secure (from the streaming providers' DRM perspective), which means that video often gets served in lower quality, typically HD with lower bitrate. You may consider the Apple TV. Apple will most likely collect data but if we are to believe their claims, the collect far less than smart Tv - and non-personalized data. Who knows...