Key facts
- A researcher found a 'security-policy.xml' file detailing features like an always-on microphone and user profile building.
- Samsung's Pet Care and Family Care tools on Vision AI TVs are advertised to listen for specific sounds.
- Experts believe data collection helps keep consumer electronics prices down.
- AI-assisted reverse engineering is making it easier to uncover device data collection practices.
A researcher, posting as log4j on X, claims to have reverse-engineered the firmware of a Samsung smart TV and discovered extensive user tracking capabilities. The findings, detailed in a file named 'security-policy.xml', reportedly include an always-on microphone, automatic content recognition, geo-positioning, network mapping, a targeted ads service, and user profile building. The researcher described the discovery as a 'privacy horror.'
Cybersecurity experts James Bore and Jake Moore told Decrypt that while the specific findings might be new to some, the underlying data collection practices by smart devices are not secret but often not read by consumers in privacy policies. They suggested that this extensive data collection could be a factor in why consumer electronics like TVs have not seen significant price increases over the last two decades.
Moore added that AI-assisted reverse engineering is making it easier for researchers to uncover these functionalities, potentially leading to more such discoveries across various everyday devices. Both experts emphasized that the primary concern should be the amount of data collected and with whom it is shared, rather than being uniquely worried about Samsung TVs.