We used our smart TV during dinner. It tried to report what we were watching over 300 times.
An hour long look at what an ordinary LG Smart TV does behind the screen, and the device that made it possible.
What did we do?
We plugged an ordinary smart TV into Ouzel, turned it on, put on some YouTube, and sat down to eat. Over the next hour, Ouzel kept a list of every website the TV tried to send information to, and blocked any that were ads or trackers.
This setup didn't break anything, in fact it had several benefits. First, here's what the TV was doing.
The short version
- 838Requests to reach various websites
- 312Attempts to report what we were watching
- 73%Of the TVs connections were unnecessary
What does your TV know about you?
A smart TV carries a massive amount of information about you, and it's not just what shows you watch. LG Smart TVs locate where you live within 30 feet. LG's Automatic Content Recognition reports what shows you watch, streaming services you use, and subscriptions you have.
Automatic content recognition (ACR) is a technology used to identify content played on a media device... This information may be collected for purposes such as personalized advertising, content recommendations, or sale
Although this data collection may seem standard, it gets much worse. The FTC caught Vizio combining the data they collect with information from data brokers. This included "sex, age, and income."
This massive data collection makes smart TVs a treasure trove for trackers and hackers. Luckily, Ouzel only takes 5 minutes to set up and blocks unnecessary connections like these.
What the TV tried to reach
Lets look at the TV booting up. Here are the first 5 things the TV reaches out to:
| Website | Company | What the TV is doing | Time after boot | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
aic.service.lgtvcommon.com | LG | Automatic Content Recognition. Identifies what's on the screen for targeted advertising. | 0 seconds | blocked |
lgtvonline.lge.com | LG | Checks if the TV is online, LG account login | 1 second | allowed |
www.youtube.com | YouTube app loading in the background | 1 second | allowed | |
aic.cdpbeacon.lgtvcommon.com | LG | Tracking/usage-reporting beacon for the ACR system | 1 second | blocked |
unagi-na.amazon.com | Amazon | Usage metrics from the Prime Video app (North America) | 2 seconds | blocked |
Before the TV checked whether it was online, before it loaded Netflix or YouTube, before the homescreen even appeared, it attempted to contact LG's content recognition service.
Every few seconds, our TV captured a "fingerprint" of what was on our screen and attempted to send it to LG. It doesn't matter what we were watching, either. Whether it's cable, streaming, or a game, the TV attempts to ship off our data.
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The TV had nearly everything it needed to work within the first 5 minutes. After that, almost everything it asked for was ads and tracking. By the end of dinner, 97% of its requests were for things we didn't want. When Ouzel said no, the TV just kept asking until we turned it off.
Ouzel is able to tell us the purpose of each connection it blocked. We found that 312 requests were made to report what we were watching. Google ads on YouTube was the next runner up.
Why do we care what a TV knows about us?
If this makes you uncomfortable, you're not alone.
We built a device that says no
Ouzel is a small box that sits next to your router. Plug it in, connect your TV to it, and it blocks trackers while your devices keep working. You don't need to configure settings or tinker with servers to block ads and trackers.
It's not just for TVs. Anything you connect to it gets the same protection: smart speakers, doorbells, thermostats, phones, tablets, and more.
Want the device that made this possible?
Ouzel is in development, and we are targeting a 2027 release. We anticipate all of the functionality you've already seen and way more. Join our waitlist at no cost to stay up-to-date with the project.
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