TechMinute | Sep 7 | Your TV Is Recording

Here's a sentence that should bother you: your TV recorded audio while it was switched off. Not "sleeping" — screen dark, mics on, apparently taking notes. A Gamers Nexus investigation into LG smart TVs found the sets logging audio and quietly sweeping the local network to map every phone and laptop in the house. That's your phone. In their logs.

The scene of the crime: a living-room smart TV that, according to the investigation, kept logging audio with the screen off — and mapped every device on the home network while it was at it.

LG's response is the best part. The company says this is all normal data collection for features you agreed to in the terms of service — the document absolutely everyone reads cover to cover. Twice.

LG's 2026 sets look gorgeous doing it. All that "optional" data collection, buried somewhere between clause 14 and the warranty.

On top of the audio logging, researchers found flaws that could let attackers listen in even while the TV sits in standby. The security community's advice is beautifully low-tech: don't connect your television to the internet. Your TV has exactly one job.

The internet's takeaway, summarized: a wall of screens, one very dumb privacy story. The mic was supposed to be for voice commands — apparently it picked up a full-time job.

▶ Watch the 60-second breakdown: the full TechMinute video

Source: Notebookcheck