Your smart TV is taking screenshots every few seconds of what you’re watching, then selling the info. It’s called ACR (automatic content recognition), and every brand hides these settings differently.
✅ To turn off ACR, follow these easy steps:
Samsung TVs:
- Press the Home button on your remote
- Go to Privacy Choices > Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy
- Turn off “Viewing Information Services”
LG TVs:
- Press Settings (gear icon)
- Go to All Settings > General > System > Additional Settings
- Turn off “Live Plus” and turn on “Limit Ad Tracking”
Vizio TVs:
- Press the Menu button
- Go to System > Reset & Admin
- Turn off “Viewing Data”
Sony TVs (Google TV):
- Press the Home button
- Go to Settings > Device Preferences > Usage & Diagnostics
- Turn off everything
Amazon Fire TV:
- Go to Settings > Preferences
- Select Privacy Settings
- Turn off “Device Usage Data,” “Collect App Usage Data,” and “Interest-Based Ads”
Roku TVs (Hisense, Sharp, TCL):
- Press the Home button on your Roku remote
- Select Settings > Network
- Turn off “Bandwidth saver”
Also in normal Roku settings:
- Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience > turn ON “Limit ad tracking”
🛡️ The nuclear option
If you want total privacy:
Never connect your smart TV to the internet. Use an Apple TV, Roku stick or Fire TV stick for streaming instead. These devices still track you, but they can’t see what’s on cable or other inputs.
The TV’s ACR only works when it’s connected to Wi-Fi. No internet = no spying. You lose the smart features, but you gain complete privacy.