Your Smart TV Knows What You’re Watching – The Markup
themarkup.org
Here’s how to turn off “automated content recognition,” the Shazam-like software on smart TVs that tracks what you’re watching

These TVs can capture and identify 7,200 images per hour, or approximately two every second. The data is then used for content recommendations and ad targeting, which is a huge business; advertisers spent an estimated $18.6 billion on smart TV ads in 2022, according to market research firm eMarketer.

  • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    104·
    11 months ago

    Doesn’t mention what circumstances it’s tracking your watching habits. If you’re watching an obscure movie on DVD, is it still looking at frames? Does it have to be through a streaming service being run on the TV? Does it recognize content being run on modern game consoles? Not a very informative article.

    • btp@kbin.socialOP
      152·
      11 months ago

      First, a quick primer on the tech: ACR identifies what’s displayed on your television, including content served through a cable TV box, streaming service, or game console, by continuously grabbing screenshots and comparing them to a massive database of media and advertisements. Think of it as a Shazam-like service constantly running in the background while your TV is on.

      All of this is in the second paragraph of the article.

      • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        113·
        11 months ago

        Bah! Reading! But that is concerning. Looks like I’ll be disabling my wifi credentials on my TV later tonight!