The FTC has settled a case against Vizio for systemically collecting data on unknowing customers and selling it to third parties without permission, but the tiny fine will do little to prevent future bad behavior.
Samsung recently updated its televisions to make viewing ads mandatory if you want to use the Smart TV features. If you haven’t recently invested in a set, it may be time to take Samsung permanently off your screens — at least until it stops requiring you view ads in perpetuity on hardware you already paid for.
Samsung’s new Smart TV’s don’t actually secure your intercepted voice data — they transmit it in plaintext.
Samsung is already under fire for its privacy language and data-sharing in Smart TVs, but the hits just keep on coming. The company is also using a partnership with Yahoo to serve ads to users — even when viewing their own content.
The smart TV era started around 2008, but everything has changed since then. As the home gets more connected and the war for your attention is waged, the smart TV and its platforms will be the next major battleground.