Do you have a Samsung TV? It might be eavesdropping on you in your living room

A security researcher claims that Samsung televisions may be listening to their surroundings through connected devices such as a soundbar, even without a built-in microphone. The researcher found software called "always on voice" for recording audio events. Samsung stated that ACR requires explicit consent and is not activated by default.

A security researcher named log4j has raised claims that Samsung televisions, even models without a built-in microphone, may be listening to their surroundings through connected external devices such as a soundbar or Bluetooth speakers. The researcher claims to have found software called "always on voice" responsible for recording audio events like dog barks or baby cries, and that the information is sent to the company's servers. Additionally, he claims the TV tracks viewing habits and maps devices on the home network. Samsung responded that ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) is not activated by default and requires explicit consent, and that when the feature is turned off, no information is collected. The researcher has yet to present conclusive evidence. The article includes privacy protection guidelines, such as disabling viewing information services and voice recognition in the TV settings.