Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything • Hacker News Board

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#11

Post by shyn3 » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:26 PM UTC

AdamJacobMuller wrote: post #5

unstatusthequo wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah even when toggling options to stop tracking, I don’t trust it. I will usually find what it calls out to and block it on my home network with Pi-Hole. I also am moving to projector which may have less “smart” bs crammed in there. But, I haven’t researched that yet to see if that’s true or not.

I don't think the options are blatantly false, the legal teams at these respective companies would never allow them to be demonstrably false. I do think they are as confusing as possible and designed to be as difficult as possible to place in "max privacy" mode and as easy as possible to place in "max tracking" mode. > block it on my home network with Pi-Hole That's a really good idea. I just configured my firewall (…

Look through this, they seem to connect to open WiFi networks.

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choo...

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#12

Post by butz » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:37 PM UTC

myrakle wrote: post #8

I use the PCWRT router, and it allows me to block the spying by blacklisting the relevant domains. https://www.pcwrt.com/2018/08/how-to-use-your-router-to-bloc...

Any way to build something like this myself, e.g. using Raspberry Pi or DD-WRT supported router?

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#13

Post by ImprovedSilence » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:39 PM UTC

myrakle wrote: post #8

I use the PCWRT router, and it allows me to block the spying by blacklisting the relevant domains. https://www.pcwrt.com/2018/08/how-to-use-your-router-to-bloc...

Does a pi-hole or the like not already take care of this?

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#14

Post by rladd » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:42 PM UTC

gumby wrote: post #7

Surely this is a non-issue if you don’t connect the TV itself to the internet?

Not if you use a box like Roku, etc.

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#15

Post by Mirioron » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:42 PM UTC

myrakle wrote: post #8

I use the PCWRT router, and it allows me to block the spying by blacklisting the relevant domains. https://www.pcwrt.com/2018/08/how-to-use-your-router-to-bloc...

At some point I wonder if we might not just start whitelisting domains instead. I think that it could be possible to design a UX that wouldn't be much of a hindrance to using your computer and phone on the same network. Eg any websites you deliberately visit get added to the whitelist, same with the other services you choose to use.

The amount of mostly unintentional (by the user) data transfers is out of hand.

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#16

Post by netsharc » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:44 PM UTC

butz wrote: post #12

myrakle wrote: post #8

I use the PCWRT router, and it allows me to block the spying by blacklisting the relevant domains. https://www.pcwrt.com/2018/08/how-to-use-your-router-to-bloc...

Any way to build something like this myself, e.g. using Raspberry Pi or DD-WRT supported router?

Google Pi Hole, it's mostly for ads and trackers, but someone probably has a list of "call home" domains, or you can add your own domains/hostnames that you want blocked

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#17

Post by Mirioron » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:46 PM UTC

AdamJacobMuller wrote: post #5

unstatusthequo wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah even when toggling options to stop tracking, I don’t trust it. I will usually find what it calls out to and block it on my home network with Pi-Hole. I also am moving to projector which may have less “smart” bs crammed in there. But, I haven’t researched that yet to see if that’s true or not.

I don't think the options are blatantly false, the legal teams at these respective companies would never allow them to be demonstrably false. I do think they are as confusing as possible and designed to be as difficult as possible to place in "max privacy" mode and as easy as possible to place in "max tracking" mode. > block it on my home network with Pi-Hole That's a really good idea. I just configured my firewall (…

>the legal teams at these respective companies would never allow them to be demonstrably false

Why? It's not like there are any real consequences for these companies when they screw up and either the data gets leaked or they're found to be lying.

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#18

Post by roel_v » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:46 PM UTC

So I have a samsung tv, and I like the apps - I use the youtube one every day, and several others several times a week. How do I leverage the gdpr to find out who knows what about me?

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#19

Post by yegor » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:46 PM UTC

Run a Pi-Hole, use it as the DNS server for your "Smart" TV.

Too lazy? Shameless self promotion: https://windscribe.com/features/robert

Re: Smart TVs like Samsung, LG and Roku are tracking everything

#20

Post by jay_kyburz » Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 8:55 PM UTC

dawnerd wrote: post #4

I stopped connecting my TVs to the internet when Samsung started pushing notification ads for GameFly on a (at the time) 3k dollar first gen 4K tv - and they lied and said no they’d never do that. They’ve all lost my trust.

Wow, I didn't know it was that bad! I've never connected my tv's to the internet. I normally run a full PC behind them to access our media and for apps.