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Samsung is Loading McAfee Antivirus Software On Smart TVs (techspot.com)
Samsung is adding bloatware to its 2019 TVs because McAfee is paying them to do so. From a report: There is arguably no reason at all for Samsung to offer a third-party antivirus software for an operating system that is developed in house. Partnering with software vendors is fairly common practice for large hardware manufacturers. Laptop makers frequently preinstall bloatware in return for some sizable payouts and smartphone OEMs are no different. Samsung is now installing McAfee antivirus software on its 2019 TV lineup.
Samsung is claiming something to the effect of wanting to protect users from malware. On the surface that makes sense, but Samsung is running its very own Tizen OS on all of its TVs. Instead of adding more junk to a TV, why not just improve the OS? The answer though is very self explanatory. Samsung would not receive a payout from McAfee if it did not install the unneeded software.
Samsung is claiming something to the effect of wanting to protect users from malware. On the surface that makes sense, but Samsung is running its very own Tizen OS on all of its TVs. Instead of adding more junk to a TV, why not just improve the OS? The answer though is very self explanatory. Samsung would not receive a payout from McAfee if it did not install the unneeded software.
Each part of a business has to make money in order, someone, somewhere in Samsung cares about the extra money
There was a golden age of tech (and of computing in particular), when only the intelligent, self-sufficient, industrious, unabashedly eccentric types were interested in it.
Then, gaming made tech fun.
Then, Apple made tech cool.
Then, Android made tech ubiquitous.
Now, tech is firmly in the sticky, unwashed hands of the proletariat, and it's time to move on to more secluded grounds. See you there!
Very few. Most people buy a TV because it's a good deal for the size in a big box store. They don't understand any specs except buzzwords like HD, smart, and 4k.
...DUMB
If vendors would offer that as an option I expect they would be surprised how many people would take it.
I'd be surprised if many did take it. Almost everything I know about marketing says that the segment of the market that cares that much about this is minuscule. The ones that don't will continue to use price as a prime criterion for their purchase decision.
That is all.
Yeah, I'm curious... how this is going to work? Is it going to work like the McAfee bloatware on retail PC, where I'm going to get pestered to upgrade to the "Pro" version every time I turn on the TV?
Also, do I have the option to uninstall the software? If not, I'm pretty sure that they're going to lose some customers over this.
(Frankly, I'm amazed that Microsoft hasn't allowed AntiVirus programs for the XBox yet. It's much more like a PC than a SmartPC is.
Treat your TV as a display and connect it to another device that you control and can secure. I have old desktop with a wireless keyboard and my TV is connected via HDMI cable to that.
mcafee is one of the worst violators of consumer privacy. their antivirus crap sends a whole metric ton of information back to the mother ship which is then sold to analytics firms for tracking consumer behavior.
This move has next to nothing about actually using the software as an antivirus; it's entirely about harvesting that sweet sweet data.
"And, what? You think they won't have a HDMI port? "
You are Missing the point.
If it has a 5g radio built in, with its cellular network access cost worked out as some combination of an advertising deal with facebook, a bulk volume bandwidth pre-purchase from your local ISP. Then YOU won't need to hook it up to the internet, because when you turn it on out of the box, it already has an internet connection, ready to send all the telemetry while downloading software updates and advertising from the word go.
It doesn't need to be on your network, so it doesn't need to go through your firewall.
What possible security or control do you hope to gain from it having an hdmi port?
Maybe, if you are lucky, there will an option in settings to turn it off, and maybe if your are lucky they will honor that setting. Otherwise, unless you live in a concrete subbasement basement, a faraday cage, or the artic circle... your TV will be online.