LG Electronics has clarified how its Smart TV platform handles voice recognition, viewing data, personalised recommendations, and device connectivity, as more Nigerian households adopt connected entertainment devices. The company stated that several data-driven features are optional and designed to give users control over the information they choose to share.
LG Explains Privacy Controls on Smart TVs
According to LG, features including voice recognition, Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), personalised recommendations, and interest-based advertising require users to opt in before activation. Users can review permissions, change settings, or withdraw consent through their television settings, the company said.
LG added that disabling these optional features does not prevent customers from using basic functions such as watching television, accessing streaming services, connecting external devices, or receiving software updates.
How LG Says Voice Recognition Works
LG also addressed privacy concerns surrounding voice-enabled televisions, saying voice control is disabled by default and must be activated by the user. On supported models, voice commands can be initiated through the microphone button on the remote control or through an enabled hands-free function.
The company said its Smart TVs do not continuously record household conversations. When hands-free voice control is activated, LG said the television listens locally for a designated wake word, while audio that does not trigger the feature is discarded rather than stored or transmitted. LG said the voice-recognition session ends after a command has been processed.
ACR and Personalised Advertising
LG's Automatic Content Recognition technology can identify content being watched from supported sources and use that information for functions such as content discovery and audience insights. The company said ACR is switched off by default and requires separate user consent.
According to LG, the technology relies on audio fingerprinting and does not collect screenshots, screen recordings, video captures, or voice recordings. Personalised advertising also requires separate approval from users, it said.
Security Updates for Eligible TVs
LG said its Smart TVs can detect compatible devices, including gaming consoles, set-top boxes, DVD players, and some Internet of Things products, to simplify connections between devices. The company said information collected for device discovery is used to support connectivity and is not used for household profiling or targeted advertising without additional consent.
On cybersecurity, LG said it operates a global bug bounty programme through which independent researchers can report potential vulnerabilities. The company also advises users to keep their television software updated. According to LG, eligible models can receive security updates for up to five years from the initial release of the applicable webOS platform version.
The privacy and security measures come as connected televisions increasingly combine traditional viewing with streaming, gaming, voice controls, and smart-home functions. This version keeps the key consumer information while attributing claims about recording, data use, and security directly to LG rather than presenting them as independent facts.
In a related development, Legit.ng earlier reported that Samsung has announced plans to remove a number of smart TV apps after new cybersecurity research revealed that some of them could secretly share users' internet connections with strangers, exposing millions of households to potential cyber threats. The move follows findings by Norwegian cybersecurity firm Mnemonic, which discovered that several apps available through Samsung's Smart TV platform contained software capable of turning users' internet connections into so-called 'residential proxy' networks.
