LG SmartTV monitors your every move - including files on attached USB drives

[40hz]

You might have suspected some of this was going on. I certainly have.

But now here's LG definitively caught sending information gleaned about its set owners back to the mothership And doing so even though the hard to find opt-out option had been selected by the set owner. And to add further insult to injury, the data transmittals are unencrypted.

From the Techdirt article:

At this point, LG already has a bit of privacy problem. Sending data on channel selection is one thing. Collecting and sending unencrypted web data like search terms is quite another. And it gets even worse.

     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 ones stored on my external USB hard drive.

DoctorBeet tested his hunch by mocking up an .avi file that would be immediately distinguishable from any other "normal" traffic. Plugging in a USB stick with the bait (Midget_Porn_2013.avi) into his TV, DoctorBeet soon saw data on his faux porn headed to LG's servers in unencrypted plain text. DoctorBeet (and his shocked wife) also watched his children's names being harvested from the file name of a Christmas video located on another connected drive

Too long and detailed a report to summarize. So hie thee over to Techdirt to get the rest of this story. (Link here.)

 

[rgdot]

This doesn't help of course but really even without stories like this never had any use for a smart tv. As of late 2013 it is still possible to buy big screen tv that are not 'smart', I suspect that will change....

[MilesAhead]

I guess they don't call TV Screens "monitors" for nothing?   

[40hz]

I guess they don't call TV Screens "monitors" for nothing?   

-MilesAhead (November 20, 2013, 11:56 AM)

LOL!

Maybe they should just call them telescreens and be done with it?

Welcome to the Panopticon!

[MilesAhead]

I guess they don't call TV Screens "monitors" for nothing?  

-MilesAhead (November 20, 2013, 11:56 AM)

LOL!

Maybe they should just call them telescreens and be done with it?

Welcome to the Panopticon!

-40hz (November 20, 2013, 12:00 PM)

Hehe.  If I remember right, Winston Smith had the advantage of no monthly cable bill.  Even Big Brother didn't expect him to pay to be monitored.

[Target]

who's watching the watchers?

[SeraphimLabs]

Nobody apparently.

I saw in the headline news a couple of days ago that the NSA responds with a prepared 'we do not disclose info on who we monitor' statement to anyone who attempts to request information on if they are being actively monitored or not.

1984 came a bit late I think, but we've definately achieved it and gone beyond it.

Now all that's left is the formation of the ministries and the party.

[40hz]

DoctorBeet, the source of information about LG that appeared in the Techdirt article above has added an entry on his blog where he goes into detail about his experiences with his LG smart TV and how he identified what information was being transmitted. Read all about it here.

[dr_andus]

The story was picked up by the BBC, and by the sound of it this is snowballing pretty quickly...

It could mean LG has broken the law.

The Information Commissioner's Office told the BBC it was looking into the issue.

"We have recently been made aware of a possible data breach which may involve LG Smart TVs," said a spokesman.

"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."

[lanux128]

so it is safer to use Samsung?

[Stoic Joker]

I'm going to go watch my LG TV in the nude in the hopes that it scars one of their staff for life.

...And for the late night shift I can do something lascivious with a stuffed panda.

[4wd]

The story was picked up by the BBC, and by the sound of it this is snowballing pretty quickly...

-dr_andus (November 20, 2013, 07:08 PM)

Meanwhile in a BBC boardroom ...

CEO: Who was it that allowed that LG Smart TV story to be aired?
PA:   Jameson on the NEWS desk, sir.  Why?
CEO: You do realise that was how we enforced our rather lucrative "TV License", don't you?
       Why have a load of tech people when we can just have the TV report where it is and what's being watched, then send an itemised list with a Infringement Notice?
PA:   So may I assume we now have a vacancy on the NEWS desk?

[MilesAhead]

I'm going to go watch my LG TV in the nude in the hopes that it scars one of their staff for life.

...And for the late night shift I can do something lascivious with a stuffed panda.

-Stoic Joker (November 20, 2013, 07:54 PM)

The question is, was it stuffed before you got hold of it?   

[rgdot]

I'm going to go watch my LG TV in the nude in the hopes that it scars one of their staff for life.

...And for the late night shift I can do something lascivious with a stuffed panda.

-Stoic Joker (November 20, 2013, 07:54 PM)

Best laugh of the week 

 

[dr_andus]

LG promises update for 'spying' smart TV

Since the issue became public it has emerged that Sony's PlayStation also collects data from every Blu-ray disc that is played.

Samsung, the world's largest TV maker, is yet to respond to questions about its operations.