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Vizio May Soon Inform Customers When Its Smart TVs Are Spying On Them (theverge.com)
Vizio is reportedly working on a way to let TV owners know when it spies on their viewing habits. According to The Verge, the company is developing a "notice program with direct notification to the class through Vizio Smart TV displays." The Hollywood Reporter first spotted the news. From the report: The news popped up in a request to extend the time needed to submit a motion for a preliminary settlement in a class action lawsuit against the company. So basically, it's possible that Vizio users will get a pop-up notification that explains what the company is doing and when. The TV company already previously settled with the Federal Trade Commission for $2.2 million in 2017, along with the agreement to get users' consent before collecting data. The company was caught in 2015 tracking users' viewing habits and demographic data, which it combined to then sell to analytics and ad companies, thereby allowing them to better target their messaging.
My tv is from 2006.
Plenty of DRM-free analogue connectivity options including the excellent SCART connector, now mostly killed by the multinationals.
No internet connection, no smart tv spying, no abusive apps, no forced updates, no useless curved screen, no 3d fraud, no useless 4k.
And no need to unplug it. Not worth of trust are car, (smart)phone,fridge and other IoT appliances. But my TV appliance I can still trust. The appliance, not what's broadcast into it...
You donâ(TM)t need a dumb TV. You need a smart TV with no access to the internet. And this is far, far easier to achieve
Just donâ(TM)t give it your WiFi password. Iâ(TM)m not aware of any smart TVâ(TM)s that will point blank refuse to work without internet access.
Use a dedicated device like an AppleTV or a Roku to do your streaming. And youâ(TM)re done.