Dan GoodinApr 29, 2024

Looks like the anti-smartTV alarmism is out in full force today on the feditubes. A reminder: connecting a smartTV to the Internet is perfectly safe as long as you take 2 minutes to follow common sense guidance:

https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smart-tv-snooping-features-a4840102036/

SmartTVs don't collect anymore data than Microsoft Windows, Google, Facebook, Twitter or even your credit card company.

Don't be fooled by the people trying to shame or scare you. And definitely don't get tricked into the magical thinking that streaming with a Roku is somehow safer than with a TV. It's not.

How to Turn Off Smart TV Snooping Features

TVs collect a huge amount of data. Here's how to use privacy settings to limit the surveillance on TVs from LG, Samsung, TCL, and every other big brand.

Consumer Reports
Show threadS.T. VejeApr 29, 2024
@dangoodin Smart TVs may not be uniquely terrible, but that doesn't make them not terrible. I love the idea of smart TVs, I just wish I could trust them to not be awful. Saying I can trust smart TVs as much as Facebook etc. is the same as saying I can't trust them at all.
Show threadDan GoodinApr 29, 2024

@stveje

Yes, exactly. So stop singing out smartTVs as if they pose more risk.

Show threadS.T. Veje
@dangoodin Agreed. I just don't think it's right to say they're "perfectly safe" either. If smart TVs are singled out, it's perhaps because they're easier to do without than many other things. So since we have no choice but to use *some* bad things, we pick a few bad things to loudly live without as a form of protest (futile though it is). That's my guess, anyway.
Apr 29, 2024 at 5:18pmWeb