If you have a LG Smart TV then it is likely that your personal data is being sent back to LG servers, even if you have chosen not to, blogger DoctorBeet claims based on his experience.
You now have something more to worry about, besides your data being collected by browsers, tech companies, hackers, NSA and other government organizations. Your TVs are a possible threat to personal information. To be more precise, LG made Smart TVs are secretly recording your activities on TV, like when you change a channel or which channel you are watching. It goes beyond that, the recorded information is sent back to LG in an unencrypted format, even if you have chosen otherwise.
The unusual activity was first spotted by blogger DoctorBeet. His investigation revealed that his LG Smart TV was reporting information of his viewing habits, and also sent the names of media files accessed on TV-connected USB sticks to LG.
"This information appears to be sent back unencrypted and in the clear to LG every time you change channel, even if you have gone to the trouble of changing the setting above to switch collection of viewing information off," the blogger wrote. "It was at this point, I made an even more disturbing find within the packet data dumps. I noticed filenames were being posted to LG's servers and that these filenames were one stored on my external USB hard drive."
LG Smart TVs have an option to turn off the "collection of watching info". As the option suggests, once it is turned off, any recording, storing or sending information to LG servers should not be entertained. DoctorBeet also made a shocking discovery of finding the names of his children being transferred in a Christmas video file he had watched from the USB.
When the blogger approached LG with the concern, the initial response was disappointing. The company simply directed him to the Terms and Conditions.
"The advice we have been given is that unfortunately as you accepted the Terms and Conditions on your TV, your concerns would be best directed to the retailer," the email from LG read. "We understand you feel you should have been made aware of these T's and C's at the point of sale, and for obvious reasons LG are unable to pass comment on their actions."
But as the news spread like wildfire LG was forced to take note.
"We have recently been made aware of a possible data breach which may involve LG Smart TVs," a spokesman for Information Commissioner's Office told BBC. "We will be making enquiries into the circumstances of the alleged breach of the Data Protection Act before deciding what action, if any, needs to be taken."
LG is said to be closely looking into the matter.
