It admits that yes, it was collecting stuff like “channel, TV platform broadcast source, etc.” from its customers with certain LG Smart TVs, but that “that is not personal but viewing information.” Which, okay, if I’m watching 13 episodes of Snapped! in a row, I consider that personal, but whatever.
LG said that it collected that information for advertisers and also to offer viewers recommendations, but that it should be a setting that can be turned off.
“We have verified that even when this function is turned off by the viewers, it continues to transmit viewing information although the data is not retained by the server. A firmware update is being prepared for immediate rollout that will correct this problem on all affected LG Smart TVs so when this feature is disabled, no data will be transmitted.”
Imagine that! A setting that can be turned on or off. Although it might be nice if the TVs came with the default set to “off,” but that’s just something customers should now be aware of before buying LG sets.
As for the TV’s propensity to collect the file names of any media connected via an external drive, LG reiterated that the files names weren’t really going anywhere at the moment, but it’ll fix that, too.
“While the file names are not stored, the transmission of such file names was part of a new feature being readied to search for data from the internet (metadata) related to the program being watched in order to deliver a better viewing experience. This feature, however, was never fully implemented and no personal data was ever collected or retained. This feature will also be removed from affected LG Smart TVs with the firmware update.”
Great. And are you sorry, LG? Yes.
“LG regrets any concerns these reports may have caused and will continue to strive to meet the expectations of all our customers and the public. We hope this update clears up any confusion.”
Source : Consumerist
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