Samsung TV kept sending tracking-like traffic after researchers opted out
A Northeastern University study found that a tested Samsung TV continued sending network traffic consistent with automatic content recognition (ACR) after researchers disabled the feature. The researchers could not confirm what the encrypted traffic contained or whether Samsung stored viewing data; the finding applies to the tested TV and software version, not every model.
Bottom line — Samsung says customers can opt out of ACR, but the study found traffic consistent with tracking in all 30 opted-out tests of the TV’s built-in streaming service.
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The study tested 12 televisions from 10 manufacturers across eight operating systems, representing about 95% of the US smart-TV market, according to CyberInsider.
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CyberInsider reports Samsung’s TV also sent ACR-consistent traffic in 41 of 60 antenna tests and 18 of 30 HDMI tests after opt-out.
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Researchers judged traffic by its timing, volume and destination because most of it was encrypted, Cyber Security News reports.
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Cyber Security News says the tested Vizio TV showed no observable drop in traffic to an identified ACR endpoint after opt-out.
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Opt-outs fully suppressed attributable ACR traffic on the tested LG webOS, Sony Google TV, Amazon Fire TV and VIDAA systems, according to CyberInsider.
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Roku’s opt-out did not cover its own streaming service on the tested TVs, CyberInsider reports.
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Samsung’s support page says ACR is optional and that users can change privacy settings to opt out of viewing-history collection.