I have spent years reviewing televisions. I have extensively tested them, measured their peak brightness, and argued about OLED versus QLED until my eyes bled. Never once did I think I would have to ask: is my TV recording me right now?
According to a sweeping 135-minute investigation from Gamers Nexus, in collaboration with Level1Techs and independent security researchers, LG smart TVs reportedly do far more than display Netflix and cricket scores. They quietly map your home network, log every device you own, and allegedly harbor severe software vulnerabilities that can allow a compromised TV to capture microphone audio while it appears powered off.
I sat down with the full report this morning. Then I walked over to my own LG OLED, unplugged the Ethernet cable, and stared at it. Because if this investigation is accurate, our living rooms are significantly less private than we thought.
ALSO READ: Hyundai’s Smallest EV Could Be First to Feature ‘Pleos’ Tech in India
How LG webOS Scans Your Wi-Fi Network
The Gamers Nexus team tested retail LG OLED models, including the flagship G5. Using Wireshark packet captures, they watched the TV systematically probe the local area network for unrelated hardware. Phones. Laptops. Smartwatches. Anything connected to the same router.
The TV was not just checking for firmware updates. According to the report, it was building a picture of your digital life. This scanning extended beyond your four walls. The sets reportedly captured the names and signal strengths of neighboring Wi-Fi networks, along with location data. Your TV might know more about your building’s network topology than you do.
This data collection is intended behavior. It is tied to LG Ad Solutions, the company’s targeted advertising division, which uses Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to log what you watch across all HDMI inputs. By mapping your network, LG can link your viewing habits to your phone or tablet to serve highly targeted ads.
The LG Smart TV Microphone Vulnerability
While the network scanning is an aggressive corporate strategy, the investigation uncovered something far more dangerous: severe Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities inside LG’s webOS software.
During bench testing, researchers demonstrated that if a bad actor successfully compromises the TV, it could capture clean microphone audio while the screen is powered down in standby mode. Worse, they tested a scenario where the TV was completely disconnected from the internet. The compromised device continued saving voice input locally. When network access was restored, it uploaded the stored files.
ALSO READ: The Foldable iPhone Duo is Finally Here. But Can Apple’s New CEO Sell a $2,000 Phone?
LG’s Response and the Bigger Privacy Problem
LG has previously pushed back against similar privacy concerns. The company’s standard stance is that its TVs process voice data only when the microphone button on the remote is pressed or a specific wake word is recognized, explicitly denying that they record ambient conversations.
But an official denial of intentional recording does not fix the underlying problem. Even if LG patches these specific RCE vulnerabilities, the webOS architecture is fundamentally designed to collect massive amounts of data and constantly listen to the network. That design philosophy creates massive attack surfaces that software updates can never fully close.
In India, where data privacy laws are finally maturing under the DPDP Act, the timing of this report could not be worse for LG. Consumers are becoming hyper-aware of how their data is harvested, and they expect better security from a premium appliance.
How to Stop Your LG TV from Tracking You
The Gamers Nexus team’s recommendation was blunt: disconnect LG sets from the internet entirely.
If you own an LG smart TV, here is what you should do right now:
- Disconnect the TV from your Wi-Fi network and unplug any Ethernet cables.
- Perform a factory reset to clear any stored network or voice data.
- Disable voice controls and microphone access in the settings menu.
- Use a dedicated streaming device like an Apple TV, Fire TV Stick, or Nvidia Shield for your apps.
This is not paranoia. This is a rational response to documented security flaws and aggressive data harvesting. Your TV should not map your home network. And it certainly should not be vulnerable to recording your living room while the screen is black.
Check back for updates as this story develops and LG issues security patches. For now, try unplugging your TV from the router tonight. Just to be safe.
We have shared some questions based on this alleged spying concerns and we await response from their end.
Check back for updates as this story develops and LG issues security patches. For now, try unplugging your TV from the router tonight. Just to be safe.
You can follow Smartprix on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google News. Visit smartprix.com for the latest tech and auto news, reviews, and guides.
