To stop this, you have two imperfect options: opt outor disconnect altogether.
But there are more insidious tracking habits you should be aware of.
Voice capture is another concern since most smart TVs come with assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant.
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Its just one of theways advertisers track you across the web.
In addition to marketing, data itself has value.
Insights can be gleaned about the habits of certain cohorts and sold for research purposes.
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For example, analytics may still be gathered about usage for non-marketing purposes.
Youre also trusting that the manufacturer will abide by your request.
This is better than nothing but far from exhaustive.
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The steps below should be used as a rough guide to help you find your way.
For newer Samsung TVs:
Cant find these options?
If you never set up the assistant, youll never be providing your approval.
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check that that you only consent to mandatory agreements, rather than the optional ones.
If you never connect your TV to the internet, its much harder for it to spy on you.
Doing this effectively turns your smart TV into a dumb TV.
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Youll also miss out onsoftware updates that could fix issues and add new features.
Youll also lose any custom picture profiles, input labels, and apps you have downloaded.
Dumb TV?
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Without an internet connection, your smart TV cant do any of that.
Instead, youll need to invest in a streaming box.
Before you do, be aware that even the box you choose is likely gathering data about you.
YouTube makes a note ofeverything you watch to serve you video recommendations.
Familiarize yourself with the data collection practices of companies like Apple and Google.
Apple is a hardware manufacturer that has earned a decent reputation for itsrobust privacy controlsandApp Store policies.
Google is the webs largest advertiser.
