Even when used as a monitor for your Mac, an LG or Samsung smart TV will periodically capture what’s on screen and send it to company servers. Here’s how to stop that terrible behavior.
Smart TVs can double as silent spies
Smart TVs can double as silent spies
Smart TVs from LG and Samsung are increasingly being used as monitors for Mac and PC, given that they are generally cheaper than an OLED display. The trade-off that you get for an inexpensive TV is adware. To accomplish this goal, they can capture screenshots of everything on screen, and sell it to just about anybody who asks, or they use that data themselves for targeted home screen advertising.
This isn’t a giant problem when you’re watching television. But when you’re working on your Mac on a television, that capture can include sensitive documents, emails, private work, and everything else that happens on your computer.