A researcher who reverse engineered a Samsung smart TV's firmware discovered a file containing functions for an always-on microphone, automatic content recognition, geo-positioning, network mapping, targeted ads, and user profile building. Samsung TVs without built-in microphones can also access microphones on connected devices such as soundbars or Bluetooth speakers.
Samsung openly advertises some of these capabilities. The company's Pet Care and Family Care tools on Vision AI TVs listen for sounds like barking or crying and send alerts through the SmartThings app.
Cybersecurity experts say the findings are not unprecedented. James Bore, a cybersecurity consultant, noted that these data collection practices are disclosed in privacy policies and end-user license agreements that most consumers do not read. "The amount of monitoring that smart devices do isn't secret as such, just not something promoted," Bore told Decrypt.
Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET, warned that similar discoveries may become more common as AI-assisted reverse engineering tools become more accessible to researchers. "AI-assisted reverse engineering may make it easier and faster for researchers to uncover and explain how devices collect, process, and share data," he said.
According to Moore, data collection may explain why television prices have remained relatively stable over the past two decades. "Smart TVs are doing far more behind the scenes than most people realise, as many can monitor what we are watching and collect our data to build profiles for targeted advertising," Moore said.
Both experts emphasized that the public should focus on the broader implications of invasive data collection. Bore said consumers should be concerned about how companies collect data to profile and manipulate purchasing behavior. Moore added that privacy should not require users to navigate through numerous settings to protect themselves.
Decrypt reached out to Samsung for comment on these findings.
