● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 negative
Samsung TVs reportedly use AI to record audio and screenshots for targeted ads
Key points
- Researcher log4j found extensive data collection on a Samsung TV.
- Tizen OS collects audio, screenshots, and cross-device IDs for ads.
- AI models on the TV track user behavior like video watching and ad skips.
- TVs without microphones reportedly seek connected devices for audio recording.
Extensive Data Collection Discovered
Cybersecurity researcher log4j investigated their Samsung TV after noticing highly specific advertisements. Their reverse-engineering efforts on the Tizen operating system revealed significant user data collection. This telemetry includes packet logging, audio categorization, screenshots, and cross-device identification (AID) for ad tracking purposes.
AI Models for User Behavior Tracking
The researcher theorizes that the TV's performance is impacted by extensive post-processing of user data. This processing involves computer vision and AI models, including a region-specific convolutional neural network, which tracks user behavior such as video consumption, ad skipping, and video progress. The findings suggest a system designed to extract maximum user information for targeted advertising.
Audio Recording Capabilities
Log4j also reported that Samsung TVs without built-in microphones are designed to find and utilize connected devices, such as soundbars or Bluetooth devices, to record audio. An engineer from Hugging Face, ngxson, partially corroborated this by observing their rooted Tizen TV activating its microphone for five seconds, though further testing on an unmodified device was not conducted.
OpenAI Account Ban
The researcher stated that OpenAI banned their account for cyber abuse, despite log4j's claim that they only used OpenAI's tools for local reverse engineering and not for exploiting vulnerabilities. Log4j suggested the ban might have been triggered by a primitive classifier.
Broader Industry Context
The article notes that Samsung is not alone in facing accusations of user privacy breaches through smart TV data collection, mentioning that other brands like LG have also been implicated in similar practices.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
A cybersecurity researcher reverse-engineered a Samsung TV and found its Tizen OS collects detailed user telemetry, including audio, screenshots, and cross-device tracking IDs, to improve targeted advertising. This data collection involves AI models running on the TV to track user behavior, raising privacy concerns.