I’ve never owned a TV before but recently purchased a Samsung TV.
In terms of privacy, is it recommended I use its internal OS to log into things like Netflix or Disney+, or is it better to use a Chromecast for those things?
I figured if I use a Chromecast I can simply not connect my TV to the Internet at all. Of course, it does mean I’ll be using a Google product.
And what privacy related issues am I opening myself up to in the first place? What kinds of things do TVs and Chromecasts track?
Anything else I should be considering?
If you connect that TV to the Internet at all, expect no privacy. Samsung TVs were used to spy on people for years by spy agencies simply because they are prolific, and have things like microphones and other sensors all over them. Samsung themselves has to admit in discovery that they use said sensors to monitor users, and that’s aside from all the data the OS collects. If you do hook it up to the internet, get a pihole on your network and a Blocklist for SmartTVs.
I have a pihole already, so I guess I could use that.
Any idea how much that would block?
And besides the sensors, what data is the OS collecting? Wouldn’t the Chromecast collect the same amount of data?
Thankfully, Samsung endpoints should be pretty well covered by blocklists, so I’d say most if not all.
SmartTV OS’s record everything you do on the device and create massive databases of metrics about user habits which they then use to target you with ads, and also sell back to companies like Netflix, Discovery, Paramount…etc.
Slightly off topic, but one major benefit for me with Chromecast and keeping the TV offline is software bloat.
Our old Samsung TV running tizan had so many shitty updates that slowed the UI down to what felt like over a second delay when using the remote.
In any scenario the brand of smart TV is irrelevant as thet all impair your privacy. Cost and effort are sadly now a feature, but not too much of a challenge. Never connect your TV to the internet directly. The easiest step is a Chromecast. I recently needed to replace my dumb TV with a smart TV. For me I just bought a TV at a price point that allowed me to also buy a used old PC box plus a wireless keyboard a touchpad. You could alternately use a Raspberry Pi. Either way, you ultimately have control of what is shared or escapes for your privacy.
