Investigation claims LG smart TVs are spying on owners

EVER felt like you're being watched? LG is under investigation after claims its smart televisions record what you watch, even when you ask it not to.

timeOUT: LG Smart TV

A SMART TV from LG may be too clever for its own good after claims it records owners' viewing habits and sends the personal information back to the manufacturer even when you ask it not to.

Jason Huntley, an IT consultant in the UK, found that despite turning the "collection of watching info" option off on his TV, the data of each channel he visited was still being captured.

So Jason Huntley attached his external hard drive to the TV to see whether it would pull down his files and file names. Sure enough it did just that.

A spokesperson for LG told the BBC: "Customer privacy is a top priority at LG Electronics and as such, we take this issue very seriously."

"LG offers many unique Smart TV models which differ in features and functions from one market to another, so we ask for your patience and understanding as we look into this matter."

As part of the Smart TV future, advertisers are now able to tailor marketing campaigns to viewers based on what they have been watching. The problem with this feature is many owners will be unknowingly sharing their viewing habits as this option is set to 'on' as default.

It isn't yet known whether LG has been inspecting the data, but the fact it is made available could pose a security risk.

"I can't prove that this was being actively logged by LG, but nevertheless it was being transmitted in the clear across the internet's backbone to wherever the servers are located," Mr Huntley said

This breach of data could be a law-breaking offence and could land LG in hot water.

While we await comment we advise LG owners to look at their privacy settings and decide if they want their data made available.