Our smart displays do not continuously record or stream user conversations, and voice processing is strictly limited to the moment the control button is pressed or the wake word is spoken.
Article Table of Contents:
- Official denial statement from LG Electronics
- Gamers Nexus investigation details and shocking technical findings
- Detection of 38 network devices and text logs in memory
- Audio paths bypassing the microphone mute button
- Consent buried in 22,000 legal words
- Criticism of loose terminology and ignored middleware
- Frequently asked questions
Official denial statement from LG Electronics
LG Electronics issued an official global statement categorically denying reports that its smart TV displays continuously record surrounding audio and household conversations or collect user data without permission, in an effort to contain the fallout from a two-hour video investigative report published by tech platform Gamers Nexus on September 7, which amassed millions of views and triggered widespread consumer concern worldwide.
The South Korean company emphasized in its statement published on its official website and addressed to media outlets that its television devices “do not continuously record or transmit user conversations,” clarifying that the speech-to-text feature only activates when a user intentionally presses the voice button on the remote control or pronounces the approved voice wake word, noting that audio processing to detect the wake word occurs locally inside the television without storage or streaming.
Gamers Nexus investigation details and shocking technical findings
The investigative report was produced through technical collaboration between Gamers Nexus, Level1Techs, and firmware specialist researcher “Mr. Broh,” with the team subjecting four commercial LG televisions running the webOS operating system to deep network inspection tests.
The tests revealed that a single television display scanned and mapped 38 devices connected to the local home network, extracting device names, MAC addresses, internal IP addresses, and connection signal strengths—an action LG admitted to Tom’s Hardware is “a standard and customary operational function in its devices.”
Detection of 38 network devices and text logs in memory
Researchers measured the transfer of approximately four gigabytes of automated content recognition data per month from each television and observed something even more critical: the discovery of full transcripts of household voice conversations stored as explicit, unencrypted strings inside the television’s RAM logs.
The examination showed that the audio capture window remains open and active for 10 to 15 seconds after the user completely stops speaking, and researchers recorded the ability of the display microphones to capture clearly usable conversations at distances exceeding 40 feet, and in some configurations from behind walls and corners at distances up to 60 and 70 feet.
Audio paths bypassing the microphone mute button
The investigation identified four separate audio paths that completely bypass the software microphone mute switch, including USB-connected webcams, the remote control microphone, audio transmitted via HDMI cables, and the internal feedback microphone.
These vulnerabilities prove that disabling the microphone from the user-facing settings does not practically guarantee the disconnection of audio from all hardware channels connected to the operating system.
Consent buried in 22,000 legal words
LG maintains that features such as automated content recognition, voice recognition, and targeted advertising are optional features requiring prior consent. However, it acknowledged that when activated, voice prints are used to segment audiences and share viewing data with its LG Ad Solutions arm and external partners, which may legally constitute “selling or sharing personal information.”
Consumer protection experts pointed out that disabling these features requires navigating five complex menu steps, in addition to consent being passed to the consumer within a bundle of legal documents exceeding 23,000 words during quick setup of the display, where users agree without reading in order to finish installation and turn on the television.
Criticism of loose terminology and ignored middleware
Gizmodo criticized the phrasing of LG’s statement and its precise use of the word “continuously,” considering it “evasive and misleading phrasing” given that the investigation conclusively proved the television dumps conversations long after direction stops.
Observers also expressed surprise that LG’s statement ignored addressing the issue of text storage in cached memory and failed to touch upon the results of previous research showing the presence of middleware software development kits in about 43 percent of webOS applications, leaving major question marks regarding the security of smart living rooms.
Frequently asked questions
Question: What accusation did the Gamers Nexus investigation level against LG smart displays?
Answer: It accused the displays of scanning connected home network devices, recording voice conversation transcripts, and storing them in cached memory.
Question: How did LG justify the operation of television microphones and their capture of sounds?
Answer: It emphasized that the displays do not record continuously, and that wake word audio processing occurs locally without sending or storing data when unactivated.
Question: What difficulties do consumers face in disabling data collection on LG displays?
Answer: Disabling tracking requires five complex menu steps, and consents are passed within legal documents comprising over 22,000 words during initial setup.
