A nice, relaxed evening sitting on the couch after a hard day’s work is extremely enjoyable, until you realize that your screen could be watching you. New research from the FTC and technology consumer advocacy organizations has revealed that today’s TVs often capture users’ viewing habits to create consumer profiles. There is data collection that assists advertisers, but that also can be intrusive. Setting up your living room could take a few minutes, but it may help secure your living room.
Understand Automatic Content Recognition
Most modern sets have a feature known as “Automatic Content Recognition,” which allows them to detect all your shows. According to Princeton University research, this system can monitor streaming, cable, and even connected gaming consoles.
Dive Into Your Privacy Settings
It’s common to find the most intrusive tracking gadgets at the bottom of all the advanced system menus. The terms and conditions page may include checkboxes to enable the company to share your data.
Reset Your Advertising Identifier
Your TV is likely to have an ID that allows advertisers to track your interests across apps. A resetting of this identifier every so often in the settings menu may interfere with the long-term tracking of your behavior.
Disable Personalization Features
Personalized recommendations may sound like a good idea, but many of them require tracking all your clicks. The cycle of switching them off could mean it might not present as many “relevant” suggestions, but it could also mean more privacy for you online.
Cover The Integrated Camera
Some of the more expensive models have built-in cameras for video calls or gesture controls. Just putting a small piece of opaque tape over the lens is a physical barrier to “watching back.
Limit Third-Party App Permissions
Each application you install may have different rules for harvesting data. Checking the permissions for the different apps you use may stop them from using your location or other sensitive features of your hardware.
Opt Out Of Interest-Based Ads
There are a number of manufacturers that are involved in programs that serve ads in accordance with your particular web history. You might not see the “Limit Ad Tracking” switch in your set’s primary dashboard, but if you do, that might mean less targeted marketing.
Be Wary Of Free Channels
There are numerous free, ad-supported streaming services that may be especially aggressive about selling your information to be able to make a profit. It’s important to keep in mind that you are probably the “value” of these services—that is, what they’re selling you is your viewing time.
Read The Initial Setup Carefully
Many people tend to click on the “Agree to All” button as soon as they power on, just to get going. You may be able to avoid the optional data collection if you spend time reading the fine print while setting up.
