This technology was used for good this time, but there's nothing stopping it from being used for evil next time. The fact that Samsung is even capable of doing this means you don't have control over your Samsung TV even if you do own it legally.
At least they’re not scanning your media library against a list of hashes yet. Edit: Ahh, I see from the replies I have had my fill of curiosity for the day.
Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
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Re: Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
#22This technology was used for good this time, but there's nothing stopping it from being used for evil next time. The fact that Samsung is even capable of doing this means you don't have control over your Samsung TV even if you do own it legally.
At least they’re not scanning your media library against a list of hashes yet. Edit: Ahh, I see from the replies I have had my fill of curiosity for the day.
Many (most?) smart TVs scan what you watch and send it to the manufacturer or one of their partners. Streaming, blu ray, home movies, and all of it.
Re: Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are, they're just doing it for advertising, not piracy prevention. https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/resources/tv-...
That's why you never connect any smart TV to your network and instead use a standalone device combined with a PiHole.
This only works until every "smart" device has a cellular modem built in.
Re: Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
#24This technology was used for good this time, but there's nothing stopping it from being used for evil next time. The fact that Samsung is even capable of doing this means you don't have control over your Samsung TV even if you do own it legally.
At least they’re not scanning your media library against a list of hashes yet. Edit: Ahh, I see from the replies I have had my fill of curiosity for the day.
Samsung does shit much worse than that, like TVs listening in on everything:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21657930
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21899491
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseband_processor#Security_...
https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/replicant-developers-fin...
Re: Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
#25The ecological impact of this shouldn't be ignored.
Imagine the number of iPhones that are activation locked due to oversight of owners before disposal. They are much more likely to become e-waste.
Possession as the primary indicator of ownership isn't such a bad option after all.
At the very least, there should be a well-known process to remove these locks.
Re: Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are, they're just doing it for advertising, not piracy prevention. https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/resources/tv-...
That's why you never connect any smart TV to your network and instead use a standalone device combined with a PiHole.
Which is where things like Amazon Sidewalk or even just a 3g/4g sim come in... I'm glad the current state of TVs isn't using this (that I know up) but I fear it's right around the corner. I just want a dumb TV that I hook my Xbox and Apple TV up to.
Re: Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
#27Got it, don't connect the stolen TV to the internet. Just plug in a Fire Stick, Apple TV or what have you. Fortunately, that's good advice in general anyway.
Re: Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's why you never connect any smart TV to your network and instead use a standalone device combined with a PiHole.
Which is where things like Amazon Sidewalk or even just a 3g/4g sim come in... I'm glad the current state of TVs isn't using this (that I know up) but I fear it's right around the corner. I just want a dumb TV that I hook my Xbox and Apple TV up to.
> Amazon Sidewalk or even just a 3g/4g sim
The fix for these is in this video: https://youtu.be/urglg3WimHA
Re: Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
#29What are the chances that someone would phish an admin user to the platform that blocks all the TV systems and block the all samsung TV devices. What are the chances that they could be snooping and monitoring what I am watching. It would be nice to see some more transparency in these remote monitoring and management systems. The system setup is very similar to Teamviewer or kaseya where you accept them to manage your…
> What are the chances that they could be snooping and monitoring what I am watching.
100%.
> Samsung Smart TVs have built-in Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology that can understand viewing behavior and usage including programs, movies, ads, gaming content and OTT apps in real-time. It’s a simple 3-step process:
Linked elsewhere itt: https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/resources/tv-...
Re: Samsung remotely disables TVs looted from South African warehouse
#30> The blocking will come into effect when the user of a stolen television connects to the internet, in order to operate the television I purchased a Sony TV in 2019 after giving up on looking for 70" "dumb" television sets that would only connect to my PlayStation and act as a screen. I decided that I would buy a smart tv but never connect it to the internet. Every few days when I start my TV, I get an annoying "set…
In case it's helpful to you, you can ADB over the network to your Android TV and uninstall packages which are annoying to you. I'd wager there's one which this prompt comes from. I have disabled all but the essential apps (for HDMI-CEC function, etc) on my Sony Android TV.
Alternatively, set it up once then ban it from the internet.