Changing the ID periodically can reduce tracking.

You can also reset something called the advertiser ID, which companies use to compile information on you. Below are instructions for turning off ACR in the major smart TV platforms, covering sets from LG, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio Google TVs from companies such as Hisense, Philips, and TCL Roku sets from such brands as Insignia, JVC, Hisense, and TCL and Amazon Fire TV Edition sets from Hisense, Insignia, and Toshiba. There’s no need to give them your personal data, too. You’ve already paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for your TV. It’s tricky to do this when you first set up a new TV, and even harder to pull off later. Since then, TV companies have been more careful to ask for permission before collecting viewing data. Vizio got in trouble with federal and state regulators back in 2017 for collecting such data without users’ knowledge or consent. You can’t easily review or delete this data later. But the data can also be used for targeting ads to you and your family, and for other purposes. This smart TV technology attempts to identify every show you play-including those you get via cable, over-the-air broadcasts, streaming services, and even Blu-ray discs.ĪCR, which goes by a variety of names depending on the TV brand, can help your set recommend shows you might want to watch. We’ve found that you can’t stop all the data collection, but you can reduce the snooping by turning off a technology called automatic content recognition, or ACR. (If you’re shopping for a new set, see the best TVs of 2022.) We’ve been analyzing smart TV data collection in our labs since 2018, and we incorporate our findings into all of our TV ratings each year.

Consumer Reports started reporting on this data collection back in 2015.

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