Smart TVs not only usually have bad interfaces, but they spy on what you’re watching even when you aren’t using their “smarts.”
Modern smart TVs often have “features” that inspect what you’re watching and report it back to some company’s servers.
This data can be sold to marketers or it could be tied to you somehow to create a better ad-targeting profile.
In reality, you are not getting anything out of this as the TV manufacturer just makes some more money on the side by collecting and selling this data.
Smart TVs also have questionable security protections.
For instance, Vizio TVs were discovered to be transmitting tracking data without any encryption, so other people could possibly snoop on the snoopers. They also connect to a server without checking if it’s a legitimate server, so a man-in-the-middle attack could send commands back to the TV.
Vizio says it has fixed this problem and TVs will automatically update to a new firmware.
But are those smart TVs even checking to ensure they’re downloading legitimate firmware files with correct digital signatures?
Based on TV manufacturers’ cavalier attitude towards security in general, I wouldn’t bet on it.
To make matters worse, many smart TVs have built-in cameras and microphones. If the security is so shoddy in general, it would theoretically be possible for an attacker to spy on you through your TV.
What can you do to stop your TV from spying on you?
Just don’t connect your smart TV to your home network and you’ll be protected from whatever built-in analysis features it has and any security vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
If the TV is not connected to the Internet, then it cannot transmit data out.
If you have connected it to the network, go into your smart TV’s settings and disconnect it from the Wi-Fi. Don’t connect it to the network with an Ethernet cable either.
If you’ve already connected to the Wi-Fi network, try to get your smart TV to forget the password. If you can’t, you may need to reset it to its factory default settings. When you set it up again, don’t give it the Wi-Fi password.
This will also prevent your smart TV from embedding extra advertisements into other things you watch — yes, some Samsung smart TVs actually do that!
The best, most secure way to get “smart features” on your TV is by plugging in a streaming box like an Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, video game console, or one of the many other devices that works better and should be more secure than your smart TV. In which case, that box can be connected to the Internet.
This is part of a larger problem with the “Internet of Things” that society is beginning to grapple with, which envisions modern appliances like your toaster, blender, microware, and fridge becoming “smart” and connecting to the network.
Most devices’ manufacturers don’t seem capable of (or are apathetic toward) creating software and continually updating it so it remains secure.
Smart appliances are great, but the reality of spying and security holes will be a serious problem.