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Smart TVs sending sensitive user data to Netflix and Facebook

ft.com

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

#171

Post by ceejayoz »

cyanbane wrote: post #169
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…

How do Doctor's that use TVs like this in meeting rooms get around HIPAA? or other places with PII, etc? With so much stuff being thrown to TVs now, a lot of times they are inheriently monitors, and there are very few people who think taking a screenshot of a monitor is not invasive.

The article cites things like location, IP addresses, and the content being watched.

That's a far cry from relaying an audio recording of a surgical conference containing HIPAA-sensitive data.

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

#172

Post by saagarjha »

Retric wrote: post #127
SteveNuts wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would encryption help in this case? If the TV connects to open wifi opportunistically it will still be sending data to the internet you don't want it to, encrypted or not.

WiFi standard password protects encrypted networks. If the router can’t login and you don’t connect Ethernet it’s not connected to the internet.

Not every network requires a password.

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

#173

Post by packet_nerd »

lrem wrote: post #53
throw03172019 wrote: post #36

I disabled WiFi on my Samsung TV after they were injecting ads into the home screen. Spend $800 to get ads served in their shitty/slow UI.

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…

My Kindle's never been connected to the network (always in flight mode) since I got it and I haven't had issues. I use Calibri and a USB cable to load ebooks. Not sure, would it be possible for it to call home through the USB cable?

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

#174

Post by chiefalchemist »

Odd. Most of the discussion here is about the TV and the collection, few seem interested in where that data is being sent? Has the shameless nature of Netflix's and FB's privacy invasions been normalized? Ironic given that Snowden's book dropped this week.

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

#175

Post by ajxs »

lrem wrote: post #53
throw03172019 wrote: post #36

I disabled WiFi on my Samsung TV after they were injecting ads into the home screen. Spend $800 to get ads served in their shitty/slow UI.

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…

That's honestly outrageous to the point of scandal. Aside from the point that these are expensive devices, these are devices that you own. You, the owner, should be able to control them to a complete degree.

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

#176

Post by 0xffff2 »

lrem wrote: post #86
0xffff2 wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a real source for this? That’s a pretty serious accusation.

Even if I went through the trouble of finding where he described it, you would get a pseudonymous guy on the Internet saying a thing, instead of a pseudonymous guy on the Internet mentioning an anonymous guy told him something. So, well, apply your pinch of salt. But I remember it pretty cleanly, as it did shock me a bit. As others suggested: it was an app-supported Kindle indeed. So it's not like Amazon went crazy u…

It’s not the evil of displaying ads, but the evil of connecting while in airplane mode that bothers me. I don’t personally believe that it’s actually going to crash a plane, but until the FAA agrees with me devices shouldn’t be connecting while claiming to be in airplane mode. I’ll have to dig into it a bit, but I expect that doing so is a violation of FAA or more likely FCC regulations.

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

#177

Post by quickthrower2 »

beamatronic wrote: post #62
topspin wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When can I buy a TV without smart features? There is a limited selection of 'dumb' TVs in the world. The 50-inch Sceptre E505BV-FMQK has no "smart" capabilities and lacks WiFi or Ethernet. The usual advice is to simply not connect the internal "smart" capabilities to anything; disable WiFi and don't connect a Ethernet cable. The built-in host and all the nefarious crap it wants to run can't reach anything unless yo…

Marketing opportunity! Sell “Privacy TVs”

I wonder if my 8 year old 720p dumb TV will go up in value?

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

#178

Post by 0xffff2 »

russdill wrote: post #80
0xffff2 wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a real source for this? That’s a pretty serious accusation.

I'm guessing it's an ad supported kindle. The user paid less on the agreement that they would see ads. My non-ad supported kindle has never done anything like this.

That’s fine, but until the FAA changes their policy, devices need to actually turn off their radios while in airplane mode. It’s not okay to lie to the user about things like that.

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

#180

Post by spydum »

inafewwords wrote: post #73
Godel_unicode wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an extra SSID which has no internet access and logs all of the things for exactly this reason.

Pick up anything interesting off your IoT and smart devices

I would imagine. Otho g but a bunch of DNS queries? Maybe the occasional fall back hardcoded IP?
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