Nowadays, there are many new devices that have already divided our attention. In the past, almost all of us spent most of our free time watching TV. These days, you have options to use your smartphones or computers to watch TV and movies through Netflix and other service providers.
In spite of this, many people are still buying smart TVs. The reason maybe is that people can’t simply forget what they have been accustomed to. Furthermore, a TV is the first thing that comes to our mind when we want to watch something as it was created for that purpose.
However, what happens if there was a sinister plot for your TV to spy on you. If you don’t think this is possible, then think again as some manufacturers have designed them this way.
Watching TV to be Watched by Somebody Else?
For sure, you wouldn’t like the idea of being watched through your TV unless you become a famous TV personality. This means you allow yourself to become a public figure. However, if you don’t want to sacrifice your privacy, you won’t aspire to become a TV superstar being watched by anyone.
What’s alarming is when you’re not aware that someone else is watching you while you are watching TV right in the comfort of your room. Of course, you wouldn’t want to broadcast your private moments. What if your TV set is designed for this purpose? Would you buy it if you knew that? Sadly, very few people are aware of this situation.
Smart TVs Are Smart Enough to Spy on You
WikiLeaks has recently revealed that the CIA has a program known as the “Weeping Angel.” This program is designed to spy people using Samsung smart TVs even while they are already turned off.
This news is very alarming since it breaks our rights to privacy. According to WikiLeaks, the infected smart TV set records conversations, which are immediately sent to CIA server through the internet.
In an interview during The Late Show, former CIA Director General Michael Hayden said that this kind of spying exists not to spy on good people but to spy only on bad people. In other words, these rumors of your smart TV spying on you are true.
On the internet, it’s common for developers of apps to monitor and track everything using.Net exception tracking in order to fix errors and bugs. For manufacturers of smart TVs, this cannot be applied as tracking devices and software may have legal and moral implications.
Why Do Manufacturers Design a Spy TV?
First and foremost, manufacturers of smart TVs need to earn extra money to sell consumer data to advertising companies. In the past, they used to provide advertising companies with data about their customers’ reason why they bought such units. Today, they can monitor and record the viewing habits of their customers.
Secondly, they also want to know how their customers use their own products. Instead of getting their feedback, manufacturers simply enable their units to record everything even while they are turned off. In fact, it’s in their user agreement. What you can do is to navigate the settings and opt out of such an option.
Conclusion
Smart TVs offer a lot of features that your conventional TV set doesn’t have. However, this is just a trade-off in exchange for your privacy. This can be your dilemma if the features they offer are more important for you. Otherwise, you can disconnect your smart TV from the internet.
