Samsung Eavesdropping TV users – How to Secure your Privacy

The technological advancements are fast and never ending, but so are the privacy intrusions. Last fall, users were offered a speaker connected to Siri-style assistant, now they are offered voice-controlled smart TVs. Despite the convenience that voice-activation offers, there is also a dark side to it.

Samsung Accepted Eavesdropping TV Users

TechCrunch mentioned that the rumors of Samsung eavesdropping TV users have some truth attached to them. It was believed that the recorded voice messages are used for advertising intelligence.

Samsung’s smart TV comes with a supplementary privacy policy, which tells that in order to provide the TV users best experience, the voice commands are stored on data servers.

The document also tells that a third party converts speech to text and might require the user data for voice recognition. This indicates that the user voice data is not completely secure and a third party might misuse it to make some quick bucks or even hand over private voice data of Samsung users to avoid pressure from government surveillance authorities.

Let’s not forget that even NSA employees were accused of passing around private data of common internet users.

Samsung Clarifies – But is the Clarification Clear Enough?

Samsung has now provided a detailed statement about how the voice recognition feature works for Smart TVs. The statement came out in response to the article published by TechCrunch in ‘Today in Creepy Privacy Policies’ category.

The statement tells that Samsung Smart TVs are programmed keeping industry-standard security safeguards and practices in mind. Furthermore, it is mentioned that the users can turn off the voice commands feature if they like.

Last but not least, the consumers are ensured that Samsung does not retain voice data or sell it to third parties. However, we all know that it’s a stupid idea to buy a voice command enabled smart TV just to turn that option off before using it. Twitter users posted some interesting Tweets about Samsung voice command feature being unsafe for the users:

Tweets from the Masses

@maxhirn @michelreimon sure but… “So it comes with a spooky Orwellian ‘feature,’ but you don’t have to turn it on” is a bit odd

— Parker Higgins (@xor) February 8, 2015

@W7VOA @xor i have a samsung smart tv gaaaah

— aggrieved citizen (@xpeanutgalleryx) February 8, 2015

@xor @maxhirn @michelreimon this smart tv spies on you no matter if you change the settings (2013) http://t.co/PvBLXZmQbE

— mary mad (@marymad) February 8, 2015

Left: Samsung SmartTV privacy policy, warning users not to discuss personal info in front of their TV Right: 1984 pic.twitter.com/osywjYKV3W

— Parker Higgins (@xor) February 8, 2015

Be Safe While Using Samsung Smart TV?

So what should be done to keep your privacy secure? There are three things you can do to ensure having your privacy and security intact if you don’t trust Samsung or any other Smart TV Manufacturer:
1. Turn off the voice recognition feature when you do not intend to use it.

2. Turn off the Smart TV’s WiFi when you are not using the TV.

3. Install a trusted VPN service on your router and connect your Smart TV with it to encrypt your data via strong security protocols.

Keep Your Security Guard Up – Always

So, is Samsung eavesdropping TV users? The answer to this question according to Samsung is ‘no’. However, no one can be trusted these days when it comes to our online privacy and security. So, to be on the safer side, do follow the above mentioned steps to enjoy your Smart TV to the fullest without losing your privacy along the way.

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