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Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

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Re: Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

#91

Post by wtallis »

SteveNuts wrote: post #75
wtallis wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think he may have meant that if all available APs are using encryption, then you don't have to worry about your TV automatically connecting.

Yeah I guess that makes sense. But a neighbor that turns on an open wifi hotspot would be all it takes for the TV to connect for a bit. It's not something that should just be left up to chance, but I also don't know of a good solution other than regulation.

Savvy users can probably open up the back of the TV and unplug the antenna cables, though that will tend to make manufacturers disagreeable should you ever seek warranty service.

Re: Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

#92

Post by arcticbull »

cameronbrown wrote: post #60
lrem wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An acquaintance attempted that with Kindle, by keeping it in flight mode. After some days it popped up a message kindly asking to give it some network access. After a few more days it simply ignored the flight mode and connected to get fresh ads. Edit: I've checked with my wife who has an ad supported Kindle for over a year and keeps it in flight mode for months at a time. It never did that to her. So either Amazon c…

> After a few more days it simply ignored the flight mode and connected to get fresh ads. Worrying. "Flight" mode exists for a reason and should not be overridden.

Flight mode exists because the FAA applies unsafe-until-proven-safe methodology to everything flight related (as they should). If flight mode mattered at all planes would be falling out of the sky on the regular, many people just leave their phones on the whole trip. The only reason I turn my phone off is because it wastes a lot of battery as it tries to manage tower hopping the whole time. Planes are getting blasted by RF in the cellular bands continuously from the ground, too, so this is taken into consideration in the design process.

Don't get me wrong the Kindle shouldn't do what it's doing but it's by no means a safety issue.

Re: Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

#94

Post by kevin_b_er »

lrem wrote: post #69
topspin wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can you be sure it is not connected to the Internet? Yes, you can be sure. The network capabilities aren't hidden spy equipment. You can disable WiFi and simply not connect Ethernet. The market for your data is relying on the indifference of 99% of TV buyers to data collection. Manufacturers and advertisers -- at least those not too far down the grey market rabbit hole -- don't care enough about the tiny fraction o…

> and simply not connect Ethernet Ethernet over HDMI is a thing, isn't it?

The other end of HDMI would need to offer a network connection for that to be real. Also its so poorly supported it might as well not be a thing. Noone implements it and it isn't just a "there's Ethernet wires in the HDMI cable", it uses some multi-purpose pins that both ends have to agree to use.

Re: Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

#95

Post by SiVal »

(I'm asking because I don't know. It's not advocacy. I have NONE of this equipment currently.) So, if I get gigabit cable internet and want to buy a 4K tv and plug it in for streaming Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc. (no broadcast, no WiFi to reduce bandwidth), is the solution to leave the WiFi off on TV setup (or give it a bad password to avoid opportunistic connection) and to plug the ethernet cable coming out of the cable modem into an Apple TV and/or Roku instead of into the TV, getting all of my programming thru wires coming out of these secondary boxes?

Re: Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

#96

Post by slivanes »

ping_pong wrote: post #85

This is why I (currently) trust Apple, because they appear to care about privacy. I am not blinding myself to the possibility that this may change, but right now this is their selling poin tto me.

Apple cares about privacy enough to make Google their default search provider for many billions each year. Apple pays lip service to your privacy and obviously cares more about money just like any other corporation.

Re: Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

#97

Post by propogandist »

huhtenberg wrote: post #11
kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #8

Android phones talk to Facebook too even if you don't have an account or any of their apps.

Source?

the first things most apps try to do is attempt to connect w/ graph.facebook.com at launch (and periodically)

this is true for your banking apps to music apps like Pandora and Spotify

you can get Netguard, which functions as VPN/Firewall and get visibility into the data exfilitration that is happening right now on your Android phone (and block some of it). Similar things should exist on iPhone too

CCC had some coverage recently, but this has been happening for a long long time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0vlD7r-kTc

*

google apps are also constantly trying to phone home and panic when they cannot connect to the mothership, causing signficant battery drain... I haven't seen them trying to call facebook directly though

Re: Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

#98

Post by pkaye »

carterehsmith wrote: post #74
lrem wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An acquaintance attempted that with Kindle, by keeping it in flight mode. After some days it popped up a message kindly asking to give it some network access. After a few more days it simply ignored the flight mode and connected to get fresh ads. Edit: I've checked with my wife who has an ad supported Kindle for over a year and keeps it in flight mode for months at a time. It never did that to her. So either Amazon c…

>> After some days it popped up a message kindly asking to give it some network access. After a few more days it simply ignored the flight mode and connected to get fresh ads. Yeah that's gross. Btw, Amazon does sell some cheaper ebook readers on the understanding that they will show ads. Was that the case here?

Yes they do sell some ad supported ebook readers. And the price difference is not a lot. $20 savings for months of ads is not worth it.

Re: Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

#99

Post by PenguinCoder »

blackflame7000 wrote: post #43
RussianCow wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the point of doing this as opposed to just skipping that step? Does it keep nagging you? Or are certain features disabled if you don't connect?

I would skip the VLAN step and just block communication from the TV to the internet. That way you could still access media on other devices on your lan via DLNA or something

What happens when you want to use Netflix, Amazon prime, or an external Plex server with the smart TV? You NEED internet access for those

Re: Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

#100

Post by paxys »

mikeryan wrote: post #50

This is a pretty open secret within the industry. Geographic data can be provided via setup (a lot of TV's ask for a zip code on setup) or usually simply via GeoIP lookup. Dig a bit deeper and you get into service provided by Samba TV and or Inscape and you can find that they're sending back frames of video in a lot of cases to track what you're watching. This data is becoming a huge mechanism for subsidizing TV sale…

Not even a secret. A TV manufacturer publicly said a while ago that a TV without "smart" features is more expensive for the company (even if sold at the same retail price) because they cannot make any money from selling usage data.
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