August 19(ABC): Smart TVs use what is known as ACR, or automatic content recognition, to track what it is that you’re watching in order to target you with recommendations or ads in the future. It tries to recognize anything you watch on your TV, no matter what route you’re streaming content through. This data is then collected and saved to create a profile of your watching habits. ACR wasn’t very well-known until Vizio settled a case for $2.2 million to the Federal Trade Commission and the state of New Jersey for collecting this data without people’s consent, as explained by Consumer Reports.
Most TVs allow you to turn off ACR somewhere in the settings. On Google Android TV, things are a bit more complicated because the smart TV doesn’t use ACR, but other methods of collecting data instead. So, this makes it more difficult to find and turn off. In order to use the Google Android TV, you must accept the terms of service, as there’s no other option there. However, there is still an option in the settings to block your Android TV from gathering and collecting your TV usage data.
