User Alleges LG TVs Phone Home With Your Viewing Habits

psychonaut writes "Blogger DoctorBeet discovered that his new LG television was surreptitiously sending information about his TV viewing habits, as well as the names of the files he watched on removable media, to LG's servers. There is an undocumented setting in the TV configuration which supposedly disables this behaviour, but an inspection of the network traffic between the TV and the Internet showed that the TV continues to send the data whether or not the setting is disabled. DoctorBeet contacted LG, but they shrugged the matter off, saying that it's a matter between him and the retailer he bought the TV from."

Comments

No encryption?

[gameboyhippo]

If I were to build a TV that spied on my customers, I would at least encrypt the traffic. By not encrypting the traffic, this opens up the possibility of a user getting revenge by posting misleading data or even something as evil as an XML bomb. Dumb move by LG.

And LG paralyzes your tv when it wants to.

[Marrow]

LG decided that it needed to update its user agreement and sent an update that paralyzed my TV. It would no long switch between inputs or do anything useful until I clicked their stupid agreement. They even supplied an email address for question about the process onscreen, but nobody ever responded.
I was a good customer for them until that stunt.

Re:it's a matter between him and the retailer

[gstoddart]

So, according to their logic, if I came round and kicked their asses, then that's a matter between them and the shop I bought my shoes from?

In this analogy, it depends on the EULA of the shoes you bought.

What they're saying is "you bought this, and accepted the terms and conditions, if you didn't know that it's your problem and take it up with the retailer who didn't tell you about it".

So, if the EULA for the shoes says you're not allowed to come around and kick their asses, then it was the retailer who was supposed to have told you that. And your desire to go around and kick their asses with said shoes is trumped by the fact that you agreed to it.

To me it's a dodgy legal argument, but since courts keep upholding these licenses which in effect say "by using this device you give us the right to do anything we want to, and whatever we like with the data we collect" -- the legal bullshit says "but you consented to us tracking everything you do, it's not our fault".

So, if in this case the shoes you bought had license terms which said you consent to being tracked, or accept that you're not allowed to kick their asses with said footwear ... then pretty much yes. Apparently it was up to the retailer to tell you what you've agreed to.