LG says its televisions process audio only after a voice command or wake phrase, while defending optional network scanning and content-tracking features.
LG has rejected claims that its smart televisions are silently listening to people at home, logging data while offline and identifying devices on local networks. The dispute follows a lengthy investigation by the YouTube channel Gamers Nexus, working with security researchers, which alleged that the sets were collecting and uploading information even in standby mode, scanning Wi-Fi networks and potentially capturing ambient audio.
In a statement to Tom’s Hardware, LG said voice processing happens only in two cases: when a user presses and holds the voice button on the remote, or when far-field voice recognition is enabled and the television detects the wake phrase “Hi LG”. The company said that outside those situations its TVs do not record or collect nearby conversations. It also said any audio used to detect a wake word remains on the device and is deleted if no match is found.
LG did acknowledge that its televisions can scan for other devices on the same local network, but described that as a standard capability used by many connected products to manage device pairing and content sharing. The company also said that Automatic Content Recognition, or ACR, is optional, requires user consent and can be disabled. According to LG, ACR data is not used for advertising unless the user explicitly permits it.
The response is intended to address the most serious privacy allegation in the video: that LG TVs are constantly eavesdropping. It does not fully resolve every technical claim raised by the researchers, but it does set out the company’s position that voice features are user-controlled and that privacy settings remain in the owner’s hands. The episode is the latest reminder that smart-TV privacy settings, including voice recognition, ad personalisation and content tracking, can be easy to overlook even when they are technically optional.
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