Smart TVs come with a hidden tracking feature called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). The feature collects your data and also tracks your location.
Below is everything you need to know about ACR, including how to disable it.
What is ACR?
Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) is a hidden tracking feature in most modern smart TVs. It watches what you watch by taking screenshots or audio samples and matching them to a content database.
Different manufacturers call it different names. LG calls it Live Plus, Samsung calls it Viewing Information Services, Roku TVs label it Smart TV Experience, Vizio names it Smart Interactivity or Viewing Data, and Sony uses Samba Interactive TV.
How does ACR run and work?
ACR runs by default in the background. It gathers data from live TV, streaming apps, or even HDMI inputs and sends that data to company servers or ad partners. Most users don’t realize it’s running.
Here is how it works:
- Content identification: Identifies what’s playing on your TV using image or audio matching. This includes cable, streaming, DVDs, or HDMI input.
- Audience measurement: The system builds a detailed viewing history and profile of user behavior. It logs what shows and ads are watched, how long, and when. Your profile is then used to generate reports and target specific audience segments.
- Targeted ads and suggestions: The main purpose of the ACR is to serve ads and recommendations tailored to you. Companies use the captured viewing data to decide which ads or suggested content you will see on your TV.
All of this runs in the background, with you having little to no awareness.
What kind of data is collected by ACR?
ACR can collect very granular personal data. This includes:
- Viewing history: Every channel, show, movie, app, or video you watch and for how long. Each minute of your viewing is effectively logged.
- Screen images (screenshots): High‑frequency images or “frames” of whatever is on your screen. A 2024 UCL study found that LG TVs can capture up to 48,000 screenshots per second, while Samsung TVs capture hundreds per second.
- Audio snippets: If audio recognition is enabled, the TV may record short audio clips of whatever is playing. These clips are hashed or fingerprinted for matching.
- Geo-location: Gathers all your location-related data, including your IP address.
- Device and app usage stats: Logs details about which apps or streaming platforms you use. Also, how long you remain on them, and the times you turn the TV on/off. It may comprise navigation actions, such as the clicks you make in menus.
- Voice commands: If you use a voice assistant, your voice commands and background microphone activity are also captured. They are then sent to voice recognition servers.
- Device identifiers: Unique TV identifiers (model, serial number, account ID) typically tag all the above data, allowing companies to link the viewing data to a particular device or user profile.
All this data is sent to remote servers. For example, LG TVs send data to Alphonso servers. Samsung sends data to Samsung-controlled domains. Traffic is encrypted but sent regularly. Every time you watch, the TV builds and sends a detailed log.
Which TVs have ACR?
ACR is present on every major smart TV. Here are examples of how different manufacturers implement it:
- Samsung Smart TVs (Tizen OS): All Samsung Smart TVs from 2015 onwards have an ACR system. Samsung labels it “Viewing Information Services”. On some older models, it is named “SyncPlus” or “Marketing”.
- LG Smart TVs (webOS): All modern LG smart TVs include ACR under the feature name “Live Plus”. As soon as you accept the terms during setup, Live Plus is active.
- Roku TVs: TVs running Roku OS have an ACR feature called “Smart TV Experience”. This includes any TCL, Hisense, Philips, or Sharp TVs that use Roku. Roku’s system is also designed for ads. By default, the TV sends input data, such as HDMI or tuner usage, to Roku’s servers.
- Vizio SmartCast TVs: Vizio’s smart TVs have a setting called “Smart Interactivity” on older models or “Viewing Data” on newer SmartCast models. These are essentially Vizio’s ACR.
- Android/Google TVs: Generally, Android TVs have a “Usage & Diagnostics” setting that, when enabled, allows content recognition services.
- Amazon Fire TV: Amazon says Fire TVs don’t use the same ACR fingerprinting as other TVs, but they still track over-the-air channels and apps.
In short, if your TV is “smart,” it almost certainly has ACR built in under one name or another.
Is the data collected private or anonymous?
Unfortunately, no. The data collected by ACR is not private and rarely truly anonymous.
TV manufacturers often claim they send only hashed data, but this is misleading. Because your viewing patterns are highly unique, hashed fingerprints can still be linked back to individuals or households.
The companies behind ACR treat the data as advertising assets, not as anonymous logs.
For example, LG’s privacy policy explicitly states that information “may be shared with third parties” for several purposes. Samsung likewise uses your viewing data to “power personalized ads and recommendations”.
The TV makers and their partners are effectively building a profile of your household’s interests and routines.
Can you disable the tracking?
Yes, you can turn off ACR on most smart TVs. However, the settings are usually buried.
Below are detailed steps for major brands. Exact menu names may vary slightly by model and software version, but the process is similar.
LG (webOS)
- Press Home.
- Go to Settings > All Settings.
- Select General > System > Additional Settings.
- Turn Live Plus off.
- In Home Settings, turn off Home Promotion and Content Recommendation.
- In Advertising, enable Limit Ad Tracking.
- Under Support > Privacy & Terms, turn on Do Not Sell My Personal Information.
Samsung
- Open Settings.
- Go to Terms & Privacy > Privacy Choices.
- Open Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy.
- Uncheck Viewing Information Services.
- Uncheck Interest-Based Advertisements.
Note: If you have a Samsung account linked to your TV, you can also log in to your privacy dashboard online and turn off “Viewing Information” under your account profile. But the safest is to do it directly on the TV.
Roku TVs
- Go to Settings.
- Open Privacy > Smart TV Experience.
- Uncheck “Use information from TV inputs”.
- Under Advertising, enable Limit Ad Tracking.
Vizio (SmartCast)
- Go to Settings > System > Reset & Admin.
- Turn off Viewing Data or Smart Interactivity.
- Turn off ad options like Ad Replacement.
Google/Android TV
- Go to Settings
- Find Device Preferences > Usage & Diagnostics
- Turn off the option
- Once done, you should also go to Privacy > Ads > Turn off ad personalization.
- If using Samba TV, disable Samba Interactive TV.
Amazon Fire TV Edition
- Go to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings.
- Turn off Device Usage Data, Collect App Usage Data, and Interest-based Ads.
- Turn off Automatic Content Recognition if listed.
On all Smart TVs, you can disable ACR and tracking by adjusting the TV’s privacy settings. It may take several steps and menu searches, but it is possible on most TVs.
How to block tracking completely
Even after disabling ACR on the TV, some data may still leak. For instance, firmware might still check for updates or send minimal stats.
For complete protection, we recommend setting up network-level blocks. This prevents the TV from contacting any known tracking servers. Common solutions include:
- Pi-hole: Runs on your network and blocks domains like alphonso.tv, samsungads.com, and so on
- AdGuard Home: Works like Pi-hole to block tracking domains.
- NextDNS / Control D: Cloud-based DNS filters where you can apply privacy rules to block smart TV tracking domains.
- Advanced Router Rules: On routers like OpenWRT or pfSense, you can block IP addresses or domains at the firewall.
These measures require some technical setup, but they are very effective. The key idea of them is that if the TV cannot reach the recognition servers, it simply cannot send your data.
Combined with disabling ACR in settings, network blocks stop any stray tracking by the TV.
Does disabling these trackers void your warranty?
No. Disabling ACR or using blockers does not void the warranty. You are using settings and tools made for users. You’re not modifying hardware or installing anything unsupported.
Companies expect you to change privacy options as you wish. The warranty covers hardware faults, not software configuration issues.