216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#681

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:33 PM UTC

tosti wrote: post #583

devmor wrote: post #448

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My apartment complex came to install keypads and centrally managed smart thermostats and I would not let them. Thankfully my lease was old enough that I was able to argue against it. I don’t want a 3rd party company tracking my habits, and I don’t want some manager boiling my pets alive while I’m gone because they decided they think our AC is set too low.

You got lucky. If you've got an apartment in, say, a healthcare facility, they'll install those thermostats and whatnot. Usually the neighbours are clueless about technology so complaining doesn't get very far at all. It's even worse if some staff wrote paranoid in your file, 'cause they'll argue it's good for "exposure".

[deleted]

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#682

Post by rustcleaner » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:33 PM UTC

rickdeckard wrote: post #218

givinguflac wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

| but this conspiracy theory that everything is made to spy on you is not helping... Have you actually looked at what is being discussed? There is no conspiracy theory, these are simple facts. Just about every electronic device is made to spy on you in 2026. Thinking otherwise is naive, at best.

| but this conspiracy theory that everything is made to spy on you is not helping... Have you actually looked at what is being discussed? There is no conspiracy theory, these are simple facts. Just about every electronic device is made to spy on you in 2026. Thinking otherwise is naive, at best. You've accidentally proven my statement: If you're not specific, you're not helping.

He's right, you're coping.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#683

Post by colingauvin » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:39 PM UTC

fanatic2pope wrote: post #271

Asmod4n wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is sadly no hdmi CEC support on Most GPUs for pcs. So when you want your tv to turn on and off with your pc it is only possible with the tv being reachable from your pc via ip. I believe LG doesn’t advertise such an api via Bluetooth

You can get USB controlled CEC injectors for HDMI. https://www.pulse-eight.com/p/104/usb-hdmi-cec-adapter

Yes but you will lose 120 FPS/VRR. So for high end TVs not really ideal.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#684

Post by gpvos » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:40 PM UTC

jck86 wrote: post #133

gpvos wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please bring your actual argument instead of insinuating stuff. Anyway, the EU's reasons seem to be entirely legitimate to me.

There is censorship of illegal streaming sites crippling the internet (Cloudflare). People are being freightened from illegal iptv boxes to watch free sports because it could be part of a botnet or residential proxy network. There are million or billion euro fines for social media and service providers like google. There is enforcement against "fast fashion". Yet there is zero effort for iot privacy, not even labels…

I have lots of criticisms of the EU and the censorship is lamentable, but this sounds like whataboutism to me. The EU does more for certification than other governments, but even they can't do everything. Is the US going against any of these things? It is only reasonable that they go for the large players first and foremost. Yes, they should do even more, but even the EU has its limits. And I'm quite in favour of going after fast fashion.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#685

Post by gchamonlive » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:42 PM UTC

Animats wrote: post #569

Here are LG's contract terms for appliances.[1] They are awful. Not only can they listen in. You have a contractual requirement to tell everyone in range of an appliance that they may be eavesdropped upon. CONSENT REQUIREMENT: You acknowledge and agree that it is your sole responsibility to obtain all necessary consents from any third parties whose voices may be captured by the Product and to notify household members…

What's absurd is that this doesn't void the terms by default. There should be limits to what companies can put in their ToS beyond which those terms aren't enforceable.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#686

Post by pampas » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:43 PM UTC

myrmidon wrote: post #402

Modems becoming super cheap is gonna be a big problem for this, because those make it even harder to prevent such snooping. Just imagine having to jam the devices in your own home just to stop them from profiling you. Better pray to your deer god that modem + data contract is gonna stay more expensive that the expected value from selling more data... We really need regulation to stop this.

I see the same thing with advertising. The cost of a banner ad in real life is always decreasing. Now every road intersection, shop aisle, plane seat etc has a huge super bright billboard blasting ads at people who can't realistically avoid it.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#687

Post by baby_souffle » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:43 PM UTC

godelski wrote: post #675

baby_souffle wrote: post #582

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's insane that there's more profit in duping your users to spy on them and sell their data/information, than there is just making and selling a great product. Seems pretty logical, no? How do we sell more TVs? Be a cheaper and or better choice. If we're already doing well technically, sell customer data to discount the TV and appear more attractive. If this is ethical / how much disclosure you'd need to give to c…

> Seems pretty logical, no? Not really, it's incredibly myopic. Would you really risk your brand , that took decades to build, by acting hostile to your customers? It only "makes sense" to do when you no longer care about your brand or you are only interested in the short term

> short term

Yeah, welcome to every executive suite since the 80s. How was it under that rock for the last 40 years?

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#688

Post by sllabres » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:44 PM UTC

brookst wrote: post #312

otikik wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well that is how Airtags work. Any iphone/ipad/mac nearby will act as a router for them[1] Given that we have already established that LG is a shady company, I wouldn't put it beyond them to try to use the same trick. [1] https://lifehacker.com/tech/how-apple-airtags-actually-work

That is not how AirTags work. They do not reach out to Apple servers at all. AirTags broadcast an encrypted ID. Phones build lists of ID’s they’ve seen and send the list to Apple. There is no routing, no ability to send arbitrary data, no active communication of any sort. It’s not a mesh network. The link you posted makes that pretty clear.

An Apple airtag probably doesn't but it is apparently possible to send some data at a very low rate (the article in [1] says a few bits per hour) over the find my network [2]

[1] https://positive.security/blog/send-my

[2] https://github.com/positive-security/send-my

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#689

Post by bayindirh » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:45 PM UTC

Obscurity4340 wrote: post #602

Animats wrote: post #569

Here are LG's contract terms for appliances.[1] They are awful. Not only can they listen in. You have a contractual requirement to tell everyone in range of an appliance that they may be eavesdropped upon. CONSENT REQUIREMENT: You acknowledge and agree that it is your sole responsibility to obtain all necessary consents from any third parties whose voices may be captured by the Product and to notify household members…

Can you actually even turn and keep the microphone off or does it toggle itself back on like Apple's Wifi and Bluetooth one-touch toggle off for now buttons?

> Apple's Wifi and Bluetooth one-touch toggle off for now buttons?

This comparison rubs me off the wrong way every time I see, because.

1. The notifications clearly tell the behavior (doing $THING until tomorrow).

2. There's a way to turn them "really off".

What LG does is completely different. IIRC from the teaser of this video, the microphone is never "completely" off or apps can re-enable them somehow.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#690

Post by jojobas » Mon, Sep 07, 2026, 10:47 PM UTC

mapontosevenths wrote: post #341

jojobas wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any SBC like Radxa Rock (cheap) to Orange Pi (powerful). 4k output, a linux you control, play retro games or stream torrent movies.

Not well. If you only care about file playback, bit still care about things like HDR and quality audio I would recommend something like the OSMC Vero V instead. It's still relatively cheap, and open source, but also let's you playback something like a blu-ray rip without loss of quality. It has the other bonus of not requiring any real setup or maintenance.

GBM/DRM Kodi supports HDR video on the Orange Pi 5 family. You can grab whatever audio from HDMI or plug whatever in the usb port, the only advantage of this Vero is the optical out.