LG Smart TVs Caught Mapping Your Network, Logging Audio With Screen Off
An Anonymous Coward writes:
A 135-Minute Investigation by Gamers Nexus Exposes How 200 Million+ LG Televisions Harvest Data From Every Device on Your Home Network, Transcribe Voice Prompts in Plain Text, and Feed It All to an Advertising Engine, Even When the TV Is Off
Your living room television is doing a lot more than displaying content. A July 2026 investigation from Gamers Nexus found that LG smart TVs actively scan home networks for phones, smartwatches, and other connected hardware, capture microphone audio while the screen appears powered down, transcribe voice commands into plain-text logs, and upload it all to LG's advertising division as soon as an internet connection is available. LG has sold an estimated 216 million smart TVs worldwide. LG Ad Solutions, the company's ad division, markets access to 363 million "secondary addressable devices" in the US alone, a number that exceeds LG's own installed base and points to network-level device enumeration happening inside people's homes.
The investigation was led by Steve Burke of Gamers Nexus, working with Level1Techs and several independent security researchers. Over a 135-minute video and accompanying documentation, the team ran packet captures, bench-tested microphone behavior in standby, found remote code execution flaws in webOS, and traced the data pipeline from a living room to LG's ad-targeting infrastructure.
LG has not publicly responded to the specific findings as of publication. The company's existing privacy language states that its televisions "do not collect, record, or store ambient conversations." The evidence in this investigation contradicts that.
Also: LG TV shown scanning LAN for third-party phones and other devices
[...] LG's ad business, LG Ad Solutions, has said in recent marketing materials that it can reach 363 million "addressable secondary devices" in the US.
When reached for comment, a company representative shared a statement from LG Electronics via email:
LG TVs can identify compatible devices on the same network to enable features such as device connectivity, content sharing or smart home functionality.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.