[Gamers Nexus] DO NOT BUY: LG’s Spyware TVs, Monitors, and Wiretapping Concerns
from recursive_recursion@piefed.ca to privacy@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 06:28
https://piefed.ca/c/privacy@lemmy.ca/p/849530/do-not-buy-lgs-spyware-tvs-monitors-and-wiretapping-concerns

DO NOT BUY: LG’s Spyware TVs, Monitors, and Wiretapping Concerns

#privacy

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TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 07:00 next collapse

Is this how China was able to get the voter files, but somehow the federal government cant?

YouTalkinToMe@lemmy.wtf on 17 Jul 08:50 next collapse

Gold painted Trump-TV incoming

username123@sh.itjust.works on 17 Jul 14:49 collapse

Don’t give them ideas

paransol@piefed.blahaj.zone on 17 Jul 12:01 collapse

LG is South Korean corp

TimothyOilypants@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 21:49 collapse

I believe the correct name is The Republic of Samsung a Vassal State of America.

mr_account@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 07:05 next collapse

My parents got a “smart” LG TV not too long ago, and I’ve been trying to make sure they keep it completely offline, but I have a feeling they’re going to give in soon. Planning on trying out a Pi-Hole tomorrow on their network

OberonSwanson@sh.itjust.works on 17 Jul 07:38 next collapse

Keep it offline and don’t update it, Pi-Hole can help, but I wouldn’t count on it. I would also go with NextDNS. Suggest they get a device like an Apple TV and only use that. You can block most of LG’s domains router/DNS side.

UndergroundParking@lemmy.cafe on 17 Jul 20:22 next collapse

That’s what pihole does. Blocks on DNS level.

Auli@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 20:52 next collapse

Block it at router level. Pihole nextdns are no different.

diaphragmwp@discuss.tchncs.de on 17 Jul 21:18 collapse

avoid evil corporation box with an evil corporation box

DeLancre@piefed.social on 17 Jul 14:52 next collapse

Don’t forget to root it

OS2Warp@lemmy.zip on 19 Jul 05:30 collapse

Ok, how?

Don’t give a suggestion without specific directions.

DeLancre@piefed.social on 19 Jul 14:31 collapse

It’s literally different for every LG TV series. And to find out how to root your particular one, you just open google and… Search.

Fuck you mean “directions”, we are not on the street.

OS2Warp@lemmy.zip on 19 Jul 16:48 next collapse

Ok then.

Go rebuild your own transmission.

What, you don’t know how to? What are you, a moron? Fuck you mean you’re just gonna say to do something and then not follow up with how to do it? That makes you an ashole.

DeLancre@piefed.social on 19 Jul 17:26 collapse

Go rebuild your own transmission.

I’m pretty confident I will be able to. There a shit tons of guides, videos and tutorials. In fact, I worked in repair center and that was my usual routine. Don’t know something? Learn.

That makes you an ashole.

I see only one asshole in comments and that ain’t me. I see no reason for me to provide instruction that will take hours to type and may not even be correct, just to please some weird guy on internet. I gave general directions: to have best experience and privacy with those TVs, you need to root them. How you do it (and if you even want to) is up to you.

OS2Warp@lemmy.zip on 20 Jul 02:19 collapse

Great. 👍🏻

Here’s a vague concept; go fucking Google it you peasant.

No one’s doing that.

DeLancre@piefed.social on 20 Jul 02:34 collapse

Fuck is wrong with you?

OS2Warp@lemmy.zip on 20 Jul 02:18 collapse

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.zip/pictrs/image/9d05b752-663e-413a-95a9-c66add47f8cd.avif">

deliriousdreams@fedia.io on 17 Jul 16:49 collapse

If you feel up to it there's the possibility of just lobotomizing the wifi on it. I did this with ours because I wanted to make sure it didn't get any updates after we bought it and it works fine.

MalReynolds@slrpnk.net on 17 Jul 08:04 next collapse

Hey, 42% discount for Linux users !

Krusty@quokk.au on 17 Jul 17:41 collapse

100 percent discount for pirates, matey.

OS2Warp@lemmy.zip on 19 Jul 05:37 collapse

Yarrrrr

tired_fedora@lemmy.ml on 17 Jul 08:16 next collapse

John: We’re not gonna make it, are we? People, I mean. Terminator: It’s in your nature to destroy yourselves. John: Yeah. Major drag, huh?

Terminator: Judgement Day

OS2Warp@lemmy.zip on 19 Jul 05:38 collapse

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.zip/pictrs/image/62beadd1-a09f-435e-986b-5ab48098af84.avif">

OwOarchist@pawb.social on 17 Jul 08:29 next collapse

Just never tell your TV what the wifi password is.

These nosy-ass companies aren’t going to pay for a cellular connection just to spy on your TV.

Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org on 17 Jul 09:40 next collapse

please connect to the internet to do anything

OwOarchist@pawb.social on 17 Jul 10:11 next collapse

If the TV can’t even display basic inputs without connecting to the internet, I’m returning it to the store as defective.

Auli@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 20:53 collapse

Isn’t the new roku TVs that do this.

OwOarchist@pawb.social on 17 Jul 21:05 collapse

Maybe the very new ones? I’ve actually got a relatively new Roku TV (only about a year and a half old), and it works just fine without the wifi password.

Only thing that annoys me about it (and probably would have gotten me to buy a different model if I knew) is that this TV has zero physical buttons. Zero. It doesn’t even have a power button! The only way to control it – even just to turn it on and off – is with the remote. If you lose the remote, the TV is bricked. (I understand omitting physical buttons to cut costs, especially on a budget model like this one, but IMO, it’s still essential to have a power button and an input switching button as physical buttons on the TV itself.) In any future TV purchases, I’ll be specifically checking to make sure they have a physical power button at least. Didn’t even check for it when I bought this TV because it didn’t even occur to me that a TV might not have a power button.

HerbGrower@slrpnk.net on 17 Jul 11:06 collapse

I am bringing this TV back for a refund as it doesn’t work.

i_am_not_a_robot@discuss.tchncs.de on 17 Jul 14:28 next collapse

Soon they won’t have to because of services like Amazon Sidewalk or the ISP-provided WiFi routers that use the customer’s home to sell internet. Your neighbor’s Palantir camera that spies on you whenever you leave your house will help your TV spy on you inside your house.

statler_waldorf@sopuli.xyz on 17 Jul 17:07 collapse

Or let it connect and drop it down a sinkhole on its own VLAN.

No idea if this is actually better, but it’s what I do for the free smart things in my house.

CoolSouthpaw@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 08:35 next collapse

Fuck LG. “Life is Good” my fucking ass.

Evotech@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 17:31 collapse

Lmao Gg

TheFrogThatFlies@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 11:53 next collapse

Instead of complaining, can we begin a discussion around alternatives? Or could we install an alternative OS on the LG TVs or any of the alternatives? It’s difficulty, if not impossible, to buy a non smart big TV.

CorrectAlias@piefed.blahaj.zone on 17 Jul 12:24 next collapse

You can just not connect it to the internet and use a separate device to connect to your media, such as an Nvidia shield or a small computer with similar power.

Luckily the shields allow for wireless adb, which gives you the ability to rip out all of the bloat and install custom launchers.

Rothe@piefed.social on 17 Jul 12:27 next collapse

Don’t connect it to the internet, but instead just use it as a monitor for a computer which you control.

I am sure they are working on ways to prevent that in the future with coming smart tv generations (the tech giants dreams of the subscription based cloud computer for every consumer instead of them actually owning a pc is definitley a step in that direction), but so far that is the perfect solution to maintain control and keep your tv dumb and anti-dystopian.

BlueOysterCultist@lemmy.zip on 17 Jul 16:32 collapse

I have an old micro PC connected to a smart TV and the only gripe is the occasional “terms of service” pop up if you fat finger a smart feature that can’t go anywhere (no internet)

It’s really great, plus makes it easy to watch media from a NAS

alexquiniou@lemmy.zip on 17 Jul 13:31 next collapse

Linus made a video about dumb tv. Yeah, you can buy it now ! (With some caveats)

youtu.be/LJh72_O4pXE

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 20:46 collapse

This isn’t just about smart TVs. Dumb displays and TVs hooked to Windows got hit by this too.

But:

  • There is no alternative OS for a smart TV.

  • Pretty much all TVs are smart these days.

The solution is to leave the TV disconnected from the internet, and don’t run Windows. Which is quite doable these days.

diaphragmwp@discuss.tchncs.de on 17 Jul 21:17 collapse

Can’t provide a source but I recall someone complaining about a TV connecting to passwordless Wi-Fi.

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 21:29 collapse

That’s awful, but also, don’t have passwordless WiFi in your home.

If its your landlord or neighbor that does it, though, that sucks. I guess you could find where the antenna is on the TV and tape some foil to the area to block it? Or open it up and snip it.

diaphragmwp@discuss.tchncs.de on 17 Jul 22:43 collapse

openwireless.org tho, not too bad of an idea when done responsibly. I love public Wi-Fi as that lets me scroll around here with no SIM card while having to wait for something. Also good for victims of abuse and such (sometimes). Even better is a community mesh network.

Mwa@thelemmy.club on 17 Jul 11:54 next collapse

Am probably not buying from LG again, Even if its not a smart TV.

alsimoneau@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 12:41 next collapse

I just bought a commercial display as a TV, it’s amazing! No smart features, great clarity and brightness. Super durable, lots of nifty nerdy features.

200$ used for a 70"

Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio on 17 Jul 14:38 next collapse

How’s the refresh rate?

GenosseFlosse@feddit.org on 17 Jul 16:02 next collapse

Shows 1 slide every 3 seconds!

Krusty@quokk.au on 17 Jul 17:41 next collapse

Fish.

diaphragmwp@discuss.tchncs.de on 17 Jul 21:16 next collapse

80000K Transcendent HD, 24FPS (perfect for most movies)

alsimoneau@lemmy.ca on 19 Jul 05:12 collapse

2K60, plenty for a TV

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 20:44 collapse

That won’t save you if the manufacturer pulls the same shenanigans as LG, unfortunately.

If it’s old though, it’s unlikely they will.

luipaard0011@lemmy.zip on 17 Jul 15:47 next collapse

are LG fridges still good to go in EU at least?

cabillaud@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 16:55 next collapse

When you can’t trust, it’s over. For me, anyway.

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 20:39 collapse

I mean, just leave them offline?

And check reviews for every single model. It’s hard to generalize appliances by brand, as they all have lemons and bargains (and common trends, too).

ArmchairAce1944@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 16:49 next collapse

The last time I bought a dumb monitor was in 2024. I won’t be buying any for a long time.

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 20:34 collapse

That won’t necessarily save you. My 35WN65C is from 2020, and I got the Mcafee popup.

All a manufacturer needs to do is register an old monitor in Windows Update, I think.

plz1@sh.itjust.works on 17 Jul 20:45 collapse

Yep, retroactive application of enshittification.

XLE@piefed.social on 17 Jul 16:52 next collapse

If LG violates wire-tapping laws, it’s actually your fault.

<img alt="from the LG EULA: You acknowledge and agree that it is your sole responsibility to obtain all necessary consent from any third parties whose voices may be captured by the product, and to notify household members and guests that their voices may be captured and processed in compliance with applicable wiretapping, eavesdropping, and privacy laws." src="https://media.piefed.social/posts/vD/EH/vDEHUS1LiJH2NjC.png">

AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 16:59 next collapse

That’s probably only legal in the US.

Gullible@sh.itjust.works on 17 Jul 17:56 collapse

It’s not legal anywhere. But crime is legal in the US, so good luck getting anything done about it.

btsax@reddthat.com on 17 Jul 20:45 next collapse

But crime is legal in the US

You have to be wealthy for this to apply to you

XLE@piefed.social on 17 Jul 22:06 collapse

I’ve seen many a TOS that includes things that are technically unenforceable or otherwise in violation of current law. I guess the companies just like to hedge their bets. Who’s going to stop them, right?

Gullible@sh.itjust.works on 17 Jul 23:41 collapse

Lawsuits are expensive! If step 1 is half a step back, establishing that a contract is unenforceable and therefore you’re allowed to sue, that effectively adds to their defense.

Rooster326@programming.dev on 17 Jul 22:03 collapse

They’re right You should disable the microphone.

observantTrapezium@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 20:21 next collapse

Looks like it’s equally a Windows problem as it is an LG problem. Why the fuck are you automatically installing shit off the internet when peripherals get connected?

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 20:43 next collapse

It’s an abuse of the Windows Update “contract.” It’s supposed to be for installing drivers so devices function, but manufacturers have been abusing it to autoload bloatware for years.

rabidhamster@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 17 Jul 22:13 collapse

Microsoft being Microsoft. In the 90s and 00s, Windows used to auto-launch programs from CDs when you put them in the drive. No check, just looks for an .exe, and silently runs it. Really good way to get a rootkit installed on your machine.

tiramichu@sh.itjust.works on 19 Jul 09:58 collapse

Autoexec makes sense in historical context.

If you were a PC user in the 90s and put an application disk in your PC, you did that because you wanted to run what was on it.

You were going to run it. All autoexec did was save you some clicks.

CD burners weren’t a thing in the 90s and only corporations had sufficient resources to get CDs pressed. So the logic goes that if you were big enough to make CDs then your software was legitimate.

Not to mention that pre-Internet there was basically no financial incentive to make viruses. The threat landscape was different.

But the world changed. CDs became common, malware exploded, even big companies like Sony demonstrated they were untrustworthy, and automatically running executables suddenly seemed like a terrible idea.

So yeah. I blame Microsoft for this current Windows Update malware vector because they shoukd have learned by now. But I don’t blame them for Autoexec.

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 20:26 next collapse

This happened with my LG “dumb” monitor!

2020 35WN65C. Nothing smart about it, yet I got a “install Mcafee” popup out of nowhere, to my utter horror.

Well. I’ll never buy another LG display as long as I live. Great marketing there, LG.

It was a good reminder though. Been too long since I took a chainsaw to my Windows partition.

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/5d7c1451-6a6b-4a2e-ba1b-1003158517a6.webp">

Look at that. It’s purge o’clock.

Auli@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 20:48 collapse

Serious a McAfee pop up oh no. You know there are false positives with anti virus espically since now they are looking for behaviours and not signatures.

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 20:50 collapse

I mean it was a popup to install Mcafee. The LG monitor driver loaded adware; I don’t run Mcafee on Windows.

I traced it, and I know it was the monitor driver that did it. Thankfully. But I feared it was more serious malware masquerading as a Mcafee installer.

Soapbox@lemmy.zip on 17 Jul 21:52 collapse

So it installed it to windows? Not the monitor itself? I would be impressed if they pushed ads into the firmware to overlay like the monitor controls. As it is, sounds like its as much Microslop’s fault as LG.

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 21:54 collapse

Yes, it installs to Windows.

Nah it didn’t change the monitor or do anything to it. Windows Update just installs the adware when it sees the monitor’s ID.

This has been going on forever with other components, like “gaming” motherboards, laptops and mice. But this is interesting because they retroactively did it to my plain-looking 2020 monitor. And Microsoft is in an awkward position here, as the manufacturer can claim these blobs are absolutely necessary to run the hardware.

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 20:56 next collapse

I think there’s some confusion in this thread.

This isn’t just about smart TVs.

LG also retroactively hit dumb TVs and dumb monitors, auto-installing a driver through Windows Update to load adware and who-knows-what-else. Dumb TVs are not safe, in this instance.

I know this because it hit me, just this month.

Rooster326@programming.dev on 17 Jul 22:02 collapse

But how does my “dumb TV” have windows update?

Washedupcynic@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 22:54 collapse

When plugged in, maybe windows recognizes the monitor is LG and it’s an auto download? That was how it seemed outlined in the video.

brucethemoose@lemmy.world on 18 Jul 00:00 next collapse

That’s precisely what it does.

Monitors can transmit their IDs over HDMI/DP, so then Windows update checks against its database and sees there’s a driver for this device.

To reiterate, it doesn’t actually do anything to the monitor though. Just your Windows install. I think the driver is ostensibly there to install a generic color calibration profile, but as you can see that’s just a pretense.

andygis@mastodon.social on 18 Jul 10:16 collapse

@Washedupcynic Pretty much, yeah — Windows fingerprints the connected display (via the
EDID it sends over HDMI/DP) and pulls a matching driver from Windows
Update automatically. The catch is that same recognition step is how a
device ID gets logged on your side. That's the exact thing I got obsessed
with and ended up building Blacklight for — it's open-source and local,
and it shows you these hidden IDs (masked by default) so you can actually
see what got recorded. blacklight.tools

mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca on 17 Jul 21:05 next collapse

LG bricked my 5.1 sound system because their soundbar failed an automatic update. There is no way to restore the firmware.

fuck LG. never buying their shit again. completely anti-consumer.

Hueristic_Autistic@lemmy.world on 17 Jul 21:58 collapse

I am so great fucking greatful to have been given my dad’s old Sony Bravia that’s not a smart TV.

I got all the connections like we used to.

I’ve been clutching on to my non smart tvs. I have two I have a Zenith 70" that my fiancés parents gave to her when she moved out and the bravia my dad gave me 12 years ago which is also 70".