LG Smart TV Collects Viewer Data, Uses ‘Easily Intercepted’ Format to Relay It; Parker Waichman LLP Urges Consumers to Contact Firm to Learn About Valuable Privacy Rights
New York, New York (PRWEB) November 27, 2013 -- Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of consumers, notes that, according to a Nov. 22 Los Angeles Times report, South Korean-based manufacturer LG this week confirmed that some models of Smart TVs made by the company include a feature capable of collecting information on the viewing habits of its users, even though the users never authorized the world’s second-largest television manufacturer to do this in the first place. In addition to viewing habits, the Smart TVs also collect personal filenames on USB flash drives that users plugged into the Smart TV, the Los Angeles Times adds, noting that all the data is transmitted back to the company. LG then uses this information to develop advertising programs and recommendations for additional viewing content more in line with a particular viewer’s tastes, according to the Los Angeles Times report.
The Smart TVs in question--the company won’t reveal the model numbers of the televisions equipped with the data-gathering feature--seem to allow users the option of shutting off this feature, the Los Angeles Times also reports, adding that LG, however, has verified that the TVs never stop gathering information and that the optional shutoff is not functional.
Data from the Smart TV in its owner’s house is transmitted via the Internet to LG, as the Los Angeles Times notes. The data, however, is sent in plaintext format –a format that can be easily intercepted, according to a Nov. 22Information Week report.
“This is disturbing on many levels,” says Gary Falkowitz, Managing Attorney at Parker Waichman LLP. “The very names of the files and folders on a USB drive can include personal information. And, without our permission, LG is capable of streaming this data in plaintext format right across the Internet.”
LG has since promised to issue a software upgrade so consumers can choose the option of truly turning the data-gathering feature off, notes the Los Angeles Times, which adds that the company has also said it will revise the Smart TV’s data-gathering capability so that the names of files and folders on viewers’ personal USB drives will not be recorded and transmitted.
If you have purchased an LG Smart TV, you may have valuable legal rights. To find out more, please visit our LG Smart TV website or contact one of our experienced lawyers today at 1(800)-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).
Contact:
Parker Waichman LLP
Gary Falkowitz, Managing Attorney
1+(800) LAW-INFO
1+(800) 529-4636
http://www.yourlawyer.com
Gary Falkowitz, Parker Waichman LLP, http://yourlawyer.com, +1 (800) 529-4636, [email protected]
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