For the past decade or so, it’s been an open secret that your TV and other devices monitor your streaming activity in order to provide you with personalized ads or content suggestions.
Also: I found an HDMI CEC blocker that effectively protects your data (and more)
But did you know that most smart TVs also analyze the content you watch on devices connected via HDMI? Modern smart TVs are just as capable of mining ad data from 20-year-old DVDs as your Netflix queue. Thankfully, we’ve found some ways to help keep your TV viewing experience as private as possible.
How HDMI content tracking works
Smart TVs will use two methods to track your viewing habits through media played on HDMI-connected devices:
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HDMI-CEC metadata: This is a very technical term for HDMI device ID. When you connect a game console, Blu-ray player, or other playback device, it sends “Device ID” data to your TV, primarily to allow a single remote to control your TV and any connected devices. However, it also tracks how long you use the device (e.g. “Profile A uses input 1 [PlayStation 5] X hours).
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Automatic Content Recognition (ACR): This approach feels more like “spy” considering the amount of data it tracks. Regardless of the source, the TV takes tiny “fingerprint screenshots” of every pixel on the screen, then feeds that data into an algorithm to accurately identify the movie, show, or video game you’re playing on your HDMI-connected device.
“One of the most important findings is that ACR tracking occurs even when the TV is used as a ‘dumb’ display,” said the UC Davis researchers. “This is very general data that companies can refine using the next method.”
How to stop it (without going off the grid)
There are several ways to turn off most content tracking features in your TV software settings. Here’s how to lock it:
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
Disable ACR (most important)
You have to feel comfortable as you may need to dig into the terms and conditions and/or privacy and data policies you may have clicked on when initially setting up your TV. Each brand has this setting in a different location, so if you need help finding it, we’ve listed the possible menu options:
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Samsung: View information services
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Sony/Google TV: Help and feedback or usage and diagnostics
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TCL/Roku TV: Smart TV experience
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Hisense: Smart TV experience or viewing information service
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Fire TV: Automatic content recognition
Plus: Is your Roku TV tracking you? It’s possible, but there are ways to stop it
Turn off HDMI-CEC
If keeping track of all your devices and multiple remotes for your TV doesn’t seem like a big deal, turning this feature off further limits the exchange of data between HDMI-connected devices and your TV. And since brands can never make it too easy for us, you have to look for something different than disabling ACR:
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Samsung: Settings > Connections > External Device Manager > Anynet+
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LG: Settings > General (or Connections) > Device Connection Settings (or External Devices) > SimpLink
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Vizio: Menu > All Settings > System > CEC
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Sony: Settings > Channels & Inputs > External Inputs > Bravia Sync
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TCL: Settings > Channels & Inputs > Inputs > Control Other Equipment (CEC)
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Hisense: Settings > System/Connections > HDMI & CEC
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Fire TV: Settings > Display & Sound > HDMI CEC Device Control
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Roku TV: Settings > System > Control other devices
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Google TV: Settings > Display & Sound > HDMI CEC
Using no HDMI CEC adapter
If you’re like me and don’t completely trust an all-digital solution, you can buy physical CEC interceptor devices fairly cheaply. The adapter connects to your TV and HDMI devices, but it lacks the pin connectors needed to transfer data. This means you can block tracking pings without affecting the video or audio signal. The BlueRigger brand offers single devices, pairs, and four-packs, so you can turn off tracking on every TV you own.
Disconnect from the internet or use a VPN
Finally, the inevitable. The only guaranteed way to prevent companies from tracking your data over the internet is to completely disconnect your TV and devices from Wi-Fi and Ethernet. They can still share data locally, but without an internet connection, there’s no way to send the data to the brand’s database for analysis.
If you can’t stand the thought of ditching digital streaming for the wonderful world of physical media, you can always opt to install a VPN on your TV, which changes your IP address to stop brands and bad actors from tracking your online activities.
Plus: How to disable ACR on your TV — and why doing so can have such a big impact
Keep in mind that disabling these features may also affect other ways you use your Smart TV. Obviously, disconnecting from the internet will disable streaming, but disabling ACR and HDMI-CEC may affect features like voice commands and even search functionality.
This is especially likely to happen when your TV updates its firmware and security settings, so be sure to check the menu regularly to make sure your options are still saved. It may take a while before you actually see the benefits of blocking data collection, as your TV will still use the data it has to serve you content suggestions and ads.
But the long-term goal is to protect your privacy and data so you can enjoy media content again without worrying that brands are spying on you.
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