LG Television sale of personal data

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The LG G3 OLED defaults to a setting of "do not sell my personal information" being off, meaning it is configured to allow the sale of personal information by default.

The LG G3 OLED, a flagship television that launched at $3,600 in its 77-inch size, uses automatic content recognition (ACR) to identify what is shown on screen, and shares the resulting viewing data with third parties. The Markup reported in December 2023 that the set was delivered with the "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" setting switched off, so that the sale of personal information was permitted unless the owner changed it, and that turning the feature off took 27 clicks.

In December 2025 the Texas Attorney General sued LG and four other television manufacturers over the disclosure of ACR data collection. LG settled in May 2026, agreeing not to collect viewing data without informed consent. In September 2026 an investigation by Gamers Nexus reported that LG televisions contacted the company's advertising servers even when used only as a display, and testing by RTINGS.com found that manufacturers describe the feature under inconsistent names. LG has said the claims made in the Gamers Nexus investigation "are not true", while also stating that ACR information "may also be shared in ways that may be considered a 'sale' or 'sharing' of personal information under applicable privacy laws".

Commentators have placed the practice within a wider pattern of television manufacturers treating viewing data as a source of revenue. Vizio reported more revenue from its Platform+ data and advertising segment than from television hardware in 2021.

Data collection practices

The LG G3 OLED includes a feature known as Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), branded as Live Plus, which:

• Monitors all content displayed on the TV, including streaming services, cable, and external devices.
• Transmits viewing data to LG's servers, where it is analyzed and used for targeted advertising.
• Uses collected data for content recommendations and ad targeting.

LG's California Privacy Policy states that California residents have the right to direct LG to stop selling or sharing their personal information:

"As a California resident, you have the right to 'opt out,' or to direct us to stop selling or otherwise sharing your personal information with third parties in exchange for monetary or other valuable consideration."

Opt-out process

Two separate controls govern this. The "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" setting is reached as follows:

1. Press the Settings button on the remote.
2. Navigate to Settings > Support > Privacy & Terms
3. Select Do Not Sell My Personal Information.
4. Toggle this on.

Automatic content recognition is governed separately. The Markup reported in December 2023 that turning off Live Plus, LG's branding for the feature at the time, took 27 clicks, and that LG offered no way to limit the collection through an online account. The same investigation reported 11 to 24 clicks for Roku and 10 to 37 clicks for Samsung. Industry research has reported that many smart televisions use comparable arrangements.

Regulatory action

Main article: Texas Attorney General sues multiple TV makers over ACR user data collection

On 15 December 2025, the Texas Attorney General filed suit against LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc. alongside four other television manufacturers, alleging that the disclosure of automatic content recognition data collection did not meet the requirements of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The petition alleged that opt-out rights were "scattered across four or more separate menus which requires approximately 40+ clicks", against a one-click option to opt in during initial setup, and characterised the arrangement as a dark pattern.

On 11 May 2026, the Attorney General's office announced a settlement with LG. Under an Agreed Final Judgment and Permanent Injunction entered in the District Court of Bell County, Texas, 169th Judicial District, LG agreed that it would "no longer use Automated Content Recognition ('ACR') technology to collect consumers' viewing data without their informed consent". The agreement requires LG to display a pop-up disclosure on its televisions explaining how viewing data may be collected and used, to publish that disclosure on its website, and to provide "a clear and simple way to opt out of any viewing data collection agreements".

2026 investigation

Between July and September 2026, Gamers Nexus published a series of videos examining data collection by LG televisions and monitors. The principal video, published on 6 September 2026, examined the network traffic sent by several LG televisions and the contents of decompiled television software.

The investigation reported that an LG G3 used only as a display for a laptop connected by HDMI, with no user agreements accepted, did not appear to send viewing data, but over one hour still contacted servers belonging to LG's advertising and customer data businesses and repeatedly scanned for nearby devices. Once the user agreements were accepted, most of the television's outgoing connections went to Alphonso, the automatic content recognition provider that trades as LG Ad Solutions, both when the set was used only as a monitor and, in far greater volume, when watching LG Channels.

Examining television software decompiled with assistance from the television modification community, the investigation reported that one set surveyed the home network and identified at least 38 other devices on it, including computers, telephones, a network switch, a printer and 3D printers.

The investigation also demonstrated microphone and camera capture on an LG television. Gamers Nexus stated that these demonstrations required an attacker to exploit software flaws, and distinguished them from the data collection performed by the television as supplied. The flaws were reported to LG privately and were not described in detail.

The video also highlighted the dark patterns of the televisions, showing several pretty extensive terms of service and user agreements, along with the option to select all of them selected to encourage the user to accept all terms without having to read them. It also showed how options to prevent the TVs to sell users' personal data are usually hard to find and are disabled by default.

LG's response

On 9 September 2026, LG told Tom's Hardware that "the claims made in the recently published video are not true", stating that its televisions process voice data only when the remote's voice button is held or a wake word is recognised after the user has enabled far-field voice recognition, and that "other than these instances, the TVs do not collect or record ambient conversations". On the network scanning, LG said the ability "to scan for and connect to nearby devices on the same network" is "a standard function commonly provided by smart TVs and smart home devices".

A further statement followed on 12 September 2026. LG said automatic content recognition "is an optional feature that is turned off by default", and that switching it on requires accepting the Viewing Information Agreement. The feature works by audio fingerprinting, and "does not collect screenshots, screen recordings, video recordings, voice recordings, or other audio recordings from the TV". On the offline capture the investigation had demonstrated, LG said voice data "is not stored for later upload when the TV is offline and is not transmitted when the connection is restored".

On the sale of data, the same statement said:

"In certain markets and under applicable user agreements, ACR-related information may also be shared in ways that may be considered a 'sale' or 'sharing' of personal information under applicable privacy laws. Users can choose whether to participate in these services and may exercise applicable opt-out rights."

Gamers Nexus published a response to LG's statements on 12 September 2026.

Industry comparison

LG's data collection practices are part of a wider industry trend. Other major smart TV manufacturers engage in similar behaviors:

• Samsung – Uses "Viewing Information Services" to track content watched and target ads.
• Vizio – Previously fined by the FTC for collecting and selling user data without consumer consent.
• Roku – Default settings enable personalized ad tracking and data collection, making opt-out difficult.

In 2026, RTINGS.com tested 15 devices, comprising ten televisions, a smart monitor and four streaming devices, to establish whether declining automatic content recognition changed what a device transmitted. Each device was factory reset, and network traffic was monitored with Wireshark first with the data sharing allowed and then after the relevant setting was turned off or consent was withdrawn, across built-in apps, HDMI sources, USB playback, games consoles and idle states. Because most traffic was encrypted, the testing could identify destination servers, timing and traffic volume, but not the full contents of every transmission.

On the LG G5, along with a Samsung S95F and a Sony Bravia 8 II, traffic to identifiable ACR-related services could be clearly distinguished, and the report stated that "after we withdrew consent or turned the relevant setting off, that traffic stopped or changed dramatically". On the other televisions tested, ACR-related communication could not be separated from software services, telemetry and other background traffic, and on the TCL QM8K no ACR-specific data flow could be isolated at all, which the report noted also makes selective blocking through DNS filtering difficult.

Gamers Nexus, by contrast, reported that an LG G3 contacted LG advertising and customer-data servers even with no user agreements accepted. The two investigations tested different models and measured behaviour under different conditions.

The same testing recorded that manufacturers describe the feature under inconsistent names, which it identified as an obstacle to opting out:

Brand or platform	Wording used for the ACR feature
LG	Viewing Information Agreement
Samsung	Viewing Information Services
Sony	Samba Interactive TV
Vizio	Viewing Data
TCL	Interactive Service
Hisense (VIDAA)	Enhanced Viewing Service

Consumer impact

Consumer Reports has noted that viewing habits are collected without prominent disclosure at the point of sale, and that owners must take deliberate steps to switch the collection off. Under the Texas settlement of May 2026, LG is required to present a disclosure explaining how viewing data may be collected and used, and to provide a simple means of opting out.

See also

• Automatic content recognition
• LG ThinQ data collection
• Vizio fined by the FTC for collecting and selling user data without consumer consent
• Samsung TVs