Researcher raises alarming privacy concerns about Samsung TVs, even those without mics

Smart TVs have raised privacy concerns for years, especially over how much information they collect about what we watch. Now, a reverse engineer has made some troubling allegations about Samsung’s smart TVs, including one suggesting that models without built-in microphones could potentially use microphones in connected devices to listen to their surroundings.

The researcher, who goes by log4j on X, claims Samsung TVs can search for microphones in connected soundbars and Bluetooth devices and use them to collect audio, which is allegedly reported back to Samsung. However, the researcher hasn’t publicly demonstrated that Samsung TVs record audio through these external microphones or transmit it without users’ knowledge.

According to log4j, the investigation began after the researcher noticed unusually targeted ads on a relatively new Samsung TV from 2025. Curious about what information the television might be collecting, the researcher says they gained root access to its operating system and began examining the software running behind the scenes.

What did the researcher find inside Samsung TV’s software?

Some of the findings concern features Samsung already advertises. For instance, supported Samsung TVs offer Pet Care and Family Care capabilities that use AI to detect sounds such as dogs barking or babies crying and send alerts to users. These features can also operate while the television is in standby mode.

Samsung has been open about these capabilities, although TechRadar reports that the company is discontinuing Family Care because of limited usage and persistent false positives. One reported problem involved the TV mistaking the sound of a baby crying on screen for an actual baby crying in the room.

However, log4j questions what happens to the information these features process. The researcher claims to have identified a software package called “always on voice” that logs and counts sound events, including dogs barking and babies crying, and reports them to Samsung. The posts also point to code associated with camera-streaming duration and other sensor activity.

While the screenshots offer some detail about the software’s apparent capabilities, they don’t show whether these events were actually transmitted to Samsung, what information might have accompanied them, or how long Samsung would retain any collected data.

In one post, log4j claims Samsung TVs use a region-specific neural network to analyze viewing habits, including YouTube videos watched, advertisements skipped, and playback progress. The researcher also alleges that the TV collects geolocation data, maps devices on the local network, and runs a service that analyzes local network traffic.

The existence of software components or references to specific functions doesn’t necessarily mean they’re actively collecting or transmitting the described information.

There’s also Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), a technology smart TVs can use to identify what’s playing on screen. Samsung offers a setting called Viewing Information Services that lets users control this feature. Samsung’s official documentation describes ACR as an optional feature that, when enabled, can collect viewing history, device identifiers, and IP addresses. The company also says it doesn’t record or watch the content displayed on users’ TVs.

However, log4j alleges that some software checks meant to respect users’ ACR preferences may be missing or incorrectly implemented, potentially allowing certain telemetry to continue even when the feature is disabled. However, he hasn’t publicly established that disabling the setting fails to stop ACR collection.

Samsung has faced smart TV privacy concerns before

Concerns about ACR aren’t new, though. As Malwarebytes noted, Texas reached a settlement with Samsung earlier this year that requires the company to obtain express consent from Texas consumers before collecting or processing ACR viewing data. Samsung has also faced lawsuits over its data-collection practices.

Malwarebytes also pointed to a class action complaint filed in California in October, which alleges that Samsung failed to adequately disclose its ACR practices. Meanwhile, a separate lawsuit filed in New York in January accused Samsung of collecting and analyzing content displayed on its TVs, including material shown when the television is used as a computer monitor. The company voluntarily dismissed that case in July. These are allegations made in legal proceedings, not findings that establish the researcher’s claims.

The company’s voice-related features have also faced scrutiny before. In 2015, privacy advocacy group EPIC filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, alleging that Samsung TVs could record nearby conversations and transmit that information elsewhere.

For now, log4j has promised a more detailed technical breakdown of the findings. As TechRadar points out, just because a TV can detect external devices doesn’t necessarily mean it can access their microphones. Such functionality could also support legitimate features, including voice calls or karaoke.

We’ve reached out to Samsung for comment on the researcher’s allegations and are awaiting a response.

In the meantime, if you’re concerned about your Samsung TV collecting information, check a few settings. On many recent models, open Settings, select All Settings, and head to General & Privacy. From there, open Terms & Privacy to disable Viewing Information Services (which controls ACR) and review your interest-based advertising preferences. You can also look for Voice Recognition Services in the privacy settings and turn it off if you don’t use voice commands. Keep in mind that the exact menu names and locations may vary depending on your TV model and software version.

Log4j also questions whether disabling ACR fully stops the associated telemetry. Disconnecting your TV from Wi-Fi, or unplugging its Ethernet cable if you’re using a wired connection, is a more reliable way to prevent it from communicating directly with online services. However, that also means giving up streaming apps and other internet-connected features.

Until the researcher publishes the full findings and the claims can be independently examined, there’s reason to scrutinize the allegations, but not to treat them as proof that Samsung TVs are secretly listening to everything happening in your living room.