I asked every TV manufacturer 17 questions about how they spy on you

Every TV company is spying on you, not just LG. Like other tech companies, they collect lots of information, and while some is necessary for products to work, not all of it is - and could include details you’d prefer to keep private.

Many customers are concerned about how TVs and streaming devices might be spying: listening to what you say, taking screenshots of everything you watch, storing sensitive information on your TV, and sharing your data with the cloud.

Asking manufacturers how they collect data

After LG was accused of spying through its TVs, I wanted to see how other TV companies were collecting and protecting our data. To find out what TV and streaming device companies are doing, I decided to ask every one to explain itself.

I put together 17 yes-or-no questions, like “Do your TVs store any recorded audio, or transcripts based on audio, captured in the home?” so that companies couldn’t just link to a confusing and legalese-ridden privacy policy. TV users deserve to know the answers.

Company representatives providing responses:

• Amazon: Eric Sveum, PR manager
• Apple: Emily Ewing, public relations manager
• Google: Alex García-Kummert, spokesperson
• LG Electronics: Chris De Maria, director of public relations
• Roku: Sarah Novatt, spokesperson
• Samsung: Frank Giancamilli, corporate communications senior manager
• TCL: Rob Manfredo, head of communications and events

One month ago, I invited 11 companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Hisense, LG, Panasonic, Roku, Samsung, Sony, TCL, and Walmart’s Vizio to share those answers. We now have answers from the top three TV manufacturers as well as every major streaming device company.

Some companies declined to answer. Below, you can see and compare how each company answered (or failed to answer) each question and then decide how you feel. (One company, Hisense, ignored our emails entirely.)

As you’ll see them say, some of this data collection is opt-in, and you can often opt out. We know that many TVs use automatic content recognition (ACR) to figure out potentially everything we’re watching, and use that information to tailor ads, gather audience metrics, and serve up content recommendations based on our viewing habits.

But though it sometimes seems like it’s required during the cavalcade of agreements thrown at us during setup, you can generally stop ACR even after you’ve agreed to it. Opting out might not be as effective as it should be, however.

A recent Northeastern University study found that Walmart’s Vizio kept on sending data after an opt-out (Vizio told me it was “routine operational data used to support the Vizio experience,” not ACR), while traffic with both Samsung and Roku was limited, but not stopped completely.

Below are the answers to our 17 questions. You will notice that some companies would not answer yes or no. We’ve also noted where companies declined to answer at all or ignored the questions. If any company becomes willing to directly answer our questions, we’ll add their responses.

1. Do your TVs ever use their embedded microphones, or the microphones in their remotes, to listen to sound in a customer’s home?

Amazon: No. Fire TV includes voice functionality to help customers use their devices and get to content they love and fast, not to surveil homes. The microphones on our voice remotes are designed to only work when the mic button on the remote is physically pressed. And TVs with hands-free Alexa are designed to detect the wake word (and only the wake word) before connecting to Alexa. No audio is stored or sent to the cloud unless the device detects the wake word. Customers can also turn off the microphones at any time. Every Fire TV smart television that has microphones also has a physical button or switch that disables the microphone.

Apple: Apple TV 4K will use its far-field microphones and the Always On Processor strictly to listen for the Siri wake word. The Always On Processor does not process or act on any other sounds in the home. Users have full control over this and can turn off “Siri” or “Hey Siri” as a wake word, or disable Siri entirely. When using the Siri Remote, users must actively press and hold the microphone button for it to start listening.

Google: If Google Assistant or Gemini is enabled or available, microphones (built-in hands-free ‘Hey Google’ or remote push-to-talk button) listen for activation triggers. Microphones remain in passive standby until triggered by hotword or button press.

Hisense: Hisense did not respond to The Verge’s questions despite five attempts to make contact.

LG: Voice recognition is off by default and operates only if the user has opted in by accepting the Voice Information Agreement. Even if the user has opted in, they need to take additional steps for the microphone to be used. They must either press the microphone button on the remote control or they can use Hands-free Voice Control on supported models. Hands-free Voice Control is disabled unless a user opts into this feature and then uses a wake-word. Wake-word detection is performed locally on the TV. If no wake word is detected, the audio is processed locally, promptly deleted, and is not stored, converted to text, or transmitted.

Panasonic: Panasonic did not provide an answer to this question.

Roku: While Roku TVs don’t have built-in microphones, some Roku remotes do. Standard voice remotes listen only while the mic button is held, and hands-free remotes can be switched off.

Samsung: No, for private monitoring. Samsung TVs do not listen to or record private conversations. The TV’s embedded microphone only listens locally for the specific wake-up word (like “Hi, Bixby”) and ignores all other sounds, while the remote control microphone only activates when the customer physically presses the button.

Sony: Sony did not provide an answer to this question.

TCL: Some TCL TVs and remotes have microphones. Users can activate those microphones to use voice assistance features provided through third-party operating systems or applications. Those third parties control whether the voice features are available and how they are used, under their own terms and privacy policies.

Vizio: Vizio did not provide an answer to this question.

2. Do your TVs store any recorded audio, or transcripts based on audio, captured in the home?

Amazon: No.

Apple: Apple did not provide a direct answer to this question.

Google: [Recorded audio and/or transcripts based on audio are] stored only if ‘Voice & Audio Activity’ (VAA) is explicitly enabled under Google Account Web & App Activity. Voice & Audio Activity is off by default. If VAA is off, voice requests are processed in real-time and not saved to the Google Account.

Hisense: Hisense did not respond to The Verge’s questions despite five attempts to make contact.

LG: If voice recognition is enabled (by opting in) and activated (by pushing the remote control’s microphone button or using the wake word), certain information generated as part of a specific voice recognition interaction may be stored locally on the TV to support voice-related features. Depending on the interaction, this may include Speech-to-text results derived from a user’s voice command. Audio used for wake-word detection is processed locally on the TV and, if no wake word is detected, captured audio is promptly deleted, and is not stored, converted to text, or transmitted.

Panasonic: Panasonic did not provide an answer to this question.

Roku: Voice commands made via voice-enabled remotes may be retained to improve voice features and provide support, consistent with Roku’s privacy policy. Users can opt out in their Roku account privacy settings.

Samsung: No. Samsung Smart TVs do not store voice recordings or transcripts on the device. However, on secure servers, voice commands and transcripts are stored only to process requests and improve voice assistant services.

Sony: Sony did not provide an answer to this question.

TCL: TCL does not collect audio data from TCL TV or remote microphones, or from the use of third-party voice features.

Vizio: Vizio did not provide an answer to this question.

3. Do your TVs transmit any audio, or transcripts based on audio, captured in the home?

Amazon: When customers speak to Alexa by pressing the mic button on the remote or using their chosen wake word, a recording of the request is sent to Amazon’s cloud, where a text transcript of the request is created to help Alexa provide a response. No audio is captured without the customer invoking Alexa-either by pressing the mic button or saying the wake word-and customers can easily review exactly what they asked and what Alexa heard, delete their recording, or even choose not to save them at all.

Apple: Siri AI processes user requests using on-device processing, and when a request needs more powerful AI models, it extends those same on-device privacy protections to the cloud through a groundbreaking infrastructure called Private Cloud Compute (PCC). When Private Cloud Compute is handling users’ requests, their personal data is not stored nor made accessible to Apple, or anyone else, and outside experts can verify this privacy promise at any time. For moments when users ask a question that requires up‑to‑date information, Siri AI can go out to the web and find it, then use Private Cloud Compute to generate an answer. Searches and requests are associated with a random identifier - a long string of letters and numbers - not a user’s Apple Account.

Google: If Voice & Audio Activity is turned on, when voice features are activated (via hotword or remote button), captured audio or transcripts are transmitted to Google cloud servers for processing and fulfilling commands. If VAA is turned off, these are deleted.

Hisense: Hisense did not respond to The Verge’s questions despite five attempts to make contact.

LG: Yes, but only if voice recognition has been enabled (by opting in) and activated (by pushing the remote control microphone button or using the wake word). When voice recognition is activated, the TV displays an on-screen indication that voice recognition is active and listening for the user’s command. Once the user finishes the voice command, the command is transmitted to our server, where it is converted into text and processed to respond to the command.

Panasonic: Panasonic did not provide an answer to this question.

Roku: Roku TVs don’t have microphones. Voice-enabled remotes let people control their Roku devices by voice, as described in our privacy policy.

Samsung: No, for ambient or background listening. Samsung TVs do not passively monitor, record, or transmit audio from your home. Audio is only captured and transmitted when you actively initiate a voice command (such as pressing the microphone button on your remote or using the wake word). This voice input is processed securely to fulfill your requests, improve services, and support connected features under our voice privacy policies.

Sony: Sony did not provide an answer to this question.

TCL: TCL did not provide a direct answer to this question.

Vizio: Vizio did not provide an answer to this question.

4. Do your TVs collect any screenshots, screen recordings, or video recordings of what viewers are watching?

Amazon: No.

Apple: Apple TV 4K does not use automatic content recognition (ACR), nor does it collect screenshots, screen recordings, or video recordings of what viewers are watching. If a user chooses to ask a question about what’s on their screen, that data is processed by Siri AI. This feature is only initiated by a direct user request.

Google: Google TV platform software does not utilize Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to capture on-screen video or screenshots. (Note: Third-party TV hardware OEMs may install separate ACR software, but Google TV OS itself does not).

Hisense: Hisense did not respond to The Verge’s questions despite five attempts to make contact.

LG: No. ACR in LG TVs does not collect or store screenshots, screen images, screen recordings, or video recordings from the TV. Instead, it uses audio fingerprints generated from content audio using the TV’s internal soundboard (not a speaker) to identify the content being viewed.

Panasonic: Panasonic did not provide an answer to this question.

Roku: No.

Samsung: No. Samsung TVs do not capture or store screenshots, screen recordings, or video recordings of what viewers watch.

Sony: Sony did not provide an answer to this question.

TCL: TCL did not provide a direct answer to this question.

Vizio: Vizio did not provide an answer to this question.

5. Do your TVs store or transmit data on what content viewers watch or listen to through the TV?

Amazon: Yes. For example, customers can opt in to allow Fire TV to collect certain viewing information like what shows they’ve watched in third-party apps to improve and personalize their experience, including by displaying shows and movies in a Continue Watching row on the Fire TV home screen. Customers can manage that setting anytime via their device’s Privacy Settings.

Apple: Apple did not provide a direct answer to this question.

Google: [Google TV] stores and transmits viewing history, watchlists, and app interactions for rentals/purchases on GTV and FreePlay. We do not have viewing history on third party apps.

Hisense: Hisense did not respond to The Verge’s questions despite five attempts to make contact.

LG: If the user has agreed to the Viewing Information Agreement, viewing information may be collected or processed in certain circumstances, including the following:

• ACR: Where ACR is available and enabled, ACR-related information may be collected and processed to identify content being viewed f