Roku, Samsung, and LG hide ACR behind dozens of clicks
The article explains that most smart TVs use Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology to collect viewing data for targeted advertising, citing an estimated $18.6 billion spent on smart TV ads in 2022. It provides specific, step-by-step instructions on how to disable ACR and personalized ad targeting on Roku, Samsung, and LG smart TV platforms, noting the varying number of clicks required for each. The Markup positions this as a guide for consumers to gain control over their privacy settings on these devices.
Key Takeaways
- ACR can capture and identify 7,200 images per hour, or about two every second, according to The Markup’s explanation of the tech.
- Roku’s ACR system is called "Smart TV Experience" and took 11 to 24 clicks to disable on the TV set itself.
- Samsung calls its ACR feature "Viewing information services," and the article says it took 10 to 37 clicks to turn off.
- LG brands its ACR-powered system "Live Plus" and required 27 clicks to disable.
- The article says smart TV advertisers spent an estimated $18.6 billion in 2022, citing eMarketer.
Why It Matters
The immediate issue is that viewing data collection is built into mainstream TV software and is hard to switch off, even for users trying to avoid targeted ads. The article ties that to three major platforms — Roku, Samsung, and LG — each using different names and different opt-out paths, with Roku and LG also offering extra ad and data controls elsewhere. For the streaming ecosystem, this shows how smart TV operating systems have become ad-tech gateways, not just playback layers. The next concrete signal to watch is whether other TV brands and OSes add similarly detailed on-device privacy controls, or keep ACR buried in account and settings menus.
Read full article at themarkup.org
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