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Smart TVs are like "a digital Trojan Horse" in people's homes

arstechnica.com

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Re: Smart TVs are like "a digital Trojan Horse" in people's homes

#11

Post by lotsofpulp »

add-sub-mul-div wrote: post #10
quantified wrote: post #2

The title and subject sound like they are about smart TVs, but the example problems sound like they are about streaming in general, which might be streamed from my cable box, or on my computer monitor. Are the streaming issues really limited to the smart TVs?

Right. It's no more acceptable for Amazon, Google, Apple, or Roku to have my data than the TV brand. But it's hard getting away from all of them.

I’m paying Apple to watch things, and sync them been my devices. I don’t see how Apple could not have “my data”.

Re: Smart TVs are like "a digital Trojan Horse" in people's homes

#13

Post by amiga »

gruez wrote: post #7
486sx33 wrote: post #5

The most frustrating part is that the last time I was able to buy a "regular" tv was 2020 EVERYTHING is a damn smart tv now

Just buy a smart tv but don't connect to wifi?

The last smart TV I had flashed an annoying light if there were no wifi connection.

Cover the light, I thought!

...the annoying light is adjacent to the IR receiver.

Cover the light, no remote.

Is this intentional?

Re: Smart TVs are like "a digital Trojan Horse" in people's homes

#14

Post by Scotch3297 »

I became fully aware of this when a few months ago, my Xiaomi smart TV turned on by itself and displayed an AD to subscribe to Netflix (I did have the Netflix app installed because I had an account a while ago, but I had already unsubscribed, I simply forgot to uninstall the app).

Needless to say, from that moment onwards, no wifi and no ethernet for the TV. I got an Xbox with Kodi connected to it. I am not saying the Xbox is immune to data harvesting (probably they collect a fair bit), but feels less intrusive and obnoxious than the whole package of the smart TV.

Re: Smart TVs are like "a digital Trojan Horse" in people's homes

#16

Post by anfractuosity »

There isn't any way to allow certain streaming services via a firewall whitelist, but block all the extraneous connections a TV might make is there? (As the TV manufacturer might use the same CDNs/IP ranges as legitimate services?), ideally without hacking about with the TV itself.

Or would it be best just to never connect the TV to a network and use a computer to access streaming services.

Re: Smart TVs are like "a digital Trojan Horse" in people's homes

#18

Post by bmitc »

gruez wrote: post #7
486sx33 wrote: post #5

The most frustrating part is that the last time I was able to buy a "regular" tv was 2020 EVERYTHING is a damn smart tv now

Just buy a smart tv but don't connect to wifi?

How do you use it then? A Roku is more secure?

Re: Smart TVs are like "a digital Trojan Horse" in people's homes

#19

Post by 20after4 »

486sx33 wrote: post #5

The most frustrating part is that the last time I was able to buy a "regular" tv was 2020 EVERYTHING is a damn smart tv now

You can get a large monitor with no smart tv features and just use it like a tv, however those are also starting to disappear and be replaced by “smart monitors”
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