We already know that our phones collect our data and track our movements. But here’s the part most people don’t know! Your smart TV is doing it too. Smart TVs from brands like Samsung and LG don’t just show content. They actively track what’s on your screen, take screenshots, and send it to their servers. But what are they doing with this data? Let's understand why smart TVs are taking screenshots and how you can stop them. But first...

How Smart TVs Take Screenshots and Collect Data

Smart TVs use something called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) in the background to keep tabs on you. Think of ACR like Shazam, but instead of identifying songs, it identifies everything you watch on your TV.

Here’s how it works in simple terms:

  1. Your TV takes tiny snapshots of what’s on screen (or listens to small bits of audio).
  2. It turns that into a digital “fingerprint.”
  3. Then sends it to the company servers to figure out exactly what you’re watching.

This doesn’t just apply to streaming apps like Netflix. ACR works across everything, cable TV, Blu-ray, gaming consoles, and even your laptop if it’s connected via HDMI. And yes, it can happen surprisingly often.

A 2024 ACM Internet Measurement Conference study found that LG TVs sent data every 15 seconds, Samsung TVs sent every 60 seconds, and in some cases, snapshots were captured even more frequently during testing.

So if you’re using your TV as a monitor for work, that could include emails, documents, and everything in between on your screen.

In late 2025, the Texas Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit against major TV brands (including Samsung and LG), alleging they failed to inform users about this data collection.

By early 2026, Samsung had already agreed to update its privacy disclosures as part of a settlement. Other cases are still ongoing.

It’s turned on by default (and hidden)

The bigger issue is that most people don’t even know this is happening. ACR is usually enabled by default when you set up your TV and is deep inside privacy settings with confusing names.

For example, LG calls it Live Plus, and Samsung calls it Viewing Information Services. Basically its just different names but the same idea.

It’s not just screenshots

ACR is just one part of the tracking. Your smart TV can also track all apps you open and interact with, how long you use them, what you interact with, your general viewing habits, and voice data (if you use voice commands).

So it’s not just “what you watch”, it’s how you use your TV.

Why Smart TVs Collect Your Data

Now the obvious question is, why are they doing this? Obviously, money. Smart TVs aren’t just hardware devices anymore. Companies like LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics also run massive advertising businesses. Your viewing data and behavior patterns are what power that.

They collect all this data on you, which helps them build a detailed profile. Examples include, but are not limited to, what you like watching, timings, viewing hours and timings, apps you use, and even other devices you are connected to (think PS or Alexa).

The Economics of the Game

Once they have built your profile based on the data collected, they can:

  • Show targeted ads on your TV home screen
  • Recommend content you’re more likely to stream
  • Share or sell that data to advertising partners
  • All of the above!!!

For example, LG works with an ad tech company called Alphonso, which helps identify what’s on your screen and turn it into usable data for advertisers.

As per the Vizio holding reports, LG made $598 million from ads and data, with gross profit of $365 million in the year 2023. Surprisingly, they made $1080 million from selling TVs with a gross profit of $0-$5 million only. One could argue that collecting and selling data is their primary business model.

In 2024, LG earned around $750 million just from the ads. So you can imagine how much these companies are making just by using your data. In fact, these brands are earning more from ads and data than from selling the TVs themselves.

Where Your Data Actually Goes

When your TV captures those “snapshots,” it doesn’t store them locally. That data is sent over the internet to their remote data centers, where it is matched against massive content databases to determine exactly what is being watched.

This information is then stored on company servers, analyzed for insights and targeted ads, and in some cases, shared with third-party partners for a fee. And the whole process happens in the background over encrypted connections, so you won’t notice a thing.

It Is Not Limited to Apps

Streaming apps already track what you watch and when, and subscribers have come to terms with it. But ACR goes beyond that. Even if you’re watching cable, playing something private from a personal USB drive, using a Blu-ray, or just connecting your laptop, your TV can still track it and collect that data. It doesn’t care where the content is coming from; it simply analyzes whatever is on your screen.

To be fair, this data does power some useful features like personalized recommendations, smarter home screens, and voice assistants. But in return, you’re basically trading your privacy for convenience, and most people don’t even realize they agreed to it. There has to be consent.

How to Stop (All) Smart TVs From Taking Screenshots

You can’t stop all data collection on a smart TV, but you can disable ACR and reduce how much data your smart TV collects.

Stop Samsung TVs From Taking Screenshots

Here’s how to turn it off:

  1. Press the Home button on your remote
  2. Go to Settings > All Settings
  3. Open General & Privacy
  4. Select Terms & Privacy (or “Privacy Choices”)
  5. Turn Viewing Information Services > Off
  6. Turn Interest-Based Ads > Off

That’s it. This stops your TV from analyzing what you’re watching.

Optional (recommended):

  1. Go to Voice Settings and turn off voice assistants if you don’t use them
  2. Enable “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” if available

Stop LG TVs From Collecting Data

LG has renamed the feature to Live Plus, making it harder to find. It’s a bit more buried:

  1. Press Settings on your remote
  2. Go to All Settings
  3. Open General > System > Additional Settings
  4. Find Live Plus > Turn it Off

There are a few more things you can do:

  1. Go to General > Home Settings
  2. Turn off Home Promotion
  3. Turn off Content Recommendation

You can also:

  1. Go to General > Additional Settings > Advertising
  2. Turn on Limit Ad Tracking

And finally,

  1. Go to Support > Privacy & Terms
  2. Enable Do Not Sell My Personal Information

This reduces most tracking and targeted ads.

Other Popular Platforms (Quick Settings)

If you’re not using Samsung or LG, here’s the quick version:

Prevent Roku TVs From Collecting Data

  1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience.
  2. Turn off Use Info from TV Inputs.

Prevent Amazon Fire TV From Collecting Data

  1. Go to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings
  2. Turn off Device Usage Data, Collect App & Over-the-Air Usage, and Interest-Based Ads.

Prevent Sony (Google TV / Android TV) From Collecting Data

  1. Go to Settings > Privacy
  2. Look for Samba Interactive TV or similar
  3. Also, limit ad tracking under Google Settings

Prevent Vizio TVs From Collecting Data

  1. Open Settings > System > Reset & Admin.
  2. Turn off Viewing Data.

Note: Turning these off stops most tracking and removes personalized ads, but apps like Netflix and YouTube will still work; you’ll see generic ads, but some smart suggestions will be gone.

That's how, peeps, big TV brands take screenshots, record audio, and collect your data. Follow the steps above to stop your smart TV from taking screenshots every minute. Smart TVs are convenient, but they shouldn’t come at the cost of your privacy and even safety. Stay tuned for more updates like this.