How to stop your LG smart TV from spying on you
By Ellis Blackwood · Subproject Zero
Your television shouldn't know this much about you. But out of the box, a modern smart TV collects far more than you'd expect. The good news: almost all of it can be turned off in a few minutes.
What your LG TV actually collects
An independent audit (Gamers Nexus, Level1Techs) analyzed the network traffic of several LG OLED models. Here's what's verified:
A fingerprint of everything you watch. The ACR technology LG markets as "Live Plus" identifies what appears on screen to generate targeted advertising.
Your home network. The TV can recognize other devices connected to your network and detect nearby Wi-Fi networks — their names and signal strength.
And a claim about audio. Researchers say that with the network cable unplugged, the TV kept recording audio and uploaded it once reconnected. LG denies this, stating it doesn't record or transmit conversations unless you activate voice. There's a class-action lawsuit in the US.
How to turn it off, step by step
1. Turn off "Live Plus". That's the ACR. Go to Settings > General > (Additional Settings) > Live Plus and switch it off. Menus vary by model year, but look for that name.
2. Decline the data agreements. In Settings > General/Support > User Agreements, uncheck advertising and usage analytics. Leave only what's essential to function.
3. Cut the voice you don't use. Turn off far-field voice recognition and, if you don't use it, the microphone.
4. Limit ad tracking. Reset the advertising identifier and enable the "limit tracking" option.
The most drastic (and most effective) option
A TV that isn't connected to the internet can't send anything. If you're genuinely concerned, don't connect it to Wi-Fi and use an external device for streaming, or put it on an isolated guest network. What it can't see, it can't send.
These settings reduce a lot of what's collected, but don't guarantee it 100%: it depends on the model and future updates that may re-enable options. That's why disconnecting is the only sure barrier.
The bigger problem
None of these features are needed to watch TV. They exist because collecting data by default is the business model. The same logic repeats across almost everything we use: the less a device collects, the less there is to leak or sell in your name. It's why it's worth choosing tools that don't ask for or store data that can later be used against you.
Turn off what you can. Disconnect what you don't use. And whenever possible, choose what collects less.