The Texas Attorney General’s Office has sued Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, accusing the companies of illegally collecting and transmitting consumer viewing data through smart TVs without proper consent. The lawsuit alleges TV screens were captured at short intervals to identify what viewers were watching.
According to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, lawsuits were filed on December 15th against five TV manufacturers: Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Sony, Hisense, and TCL. The complaint names Samsung Electronics’ U.S. subsidiary, Samsung Electronics’ headquarters in South Korea, and LG Electronics’ U.S. subsidiary as defendants.
The Attorney General’s Office alleges the companies embedded Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology in smart TVs and collected and transmitted viewing data without consumer consent. ACR captures images displayed on a TV screen at roughly 0.5-second intervals to identify viewed content. The technology can recognize not only streaming services but also screens from external devices such as game consoles and laptops connected to the TV.
Prosecutors stated that “both Samsung and LG collected viewing data at a level that goes beyond simple program records and allows analysis of individuals’ interests and consumer tendencies,” adding that “there is a possibility that even sensitive information such as religious interests or political tendencies could be inferred.” The Texas Attorney General’s Office said such practices constitute deceptive and unfair trade practices in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA).
Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, said, “These companies have no right to illegally record televisions inside viewers’ homes,” adding, “Owning a TV should not result in personal information being handed over to big tech companies or foreign entities.”
The Attorney General’s Office asked the court to issue temporary and permanent injunctions ordering the companies to immediately stop collecting, transmitting, and selling data through ACR technology. Prosecutors also sought fines and damages.
According to the complaint, Texas has raised concerns about Samsung’s ACR technology dating back to 2013. Prosecutors said more than 73 million Samsung smart TVs distributed in the United States—representing about a 32% market share—are equipped with ACR technology capable of tracking real-time viewing behavior.
The lawsuit also alleges Samsung described ACR-related features using vague terms such as “Viewing Information Services,” despite having systems capable of collecting and analyzing nearly all on-screen content. During initial setup, the prominently displayed “I Agree to All” option allegedly made it difficult for consumers to review individual consent items. Some explanations stated that video or content was not collected, which prosecutors said misled consumers.
LG Electronics faces similar allegations regarding the scope of data collection and the complexity of its consent structure. According to the complaint, LG holds about a 22% share of the U.S. smart TV market.
The newsroom contacted Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics for comment on the lawsuit but had not received a response as of 6 p.m. on December 18th. The Texas Attorney General’s Office said LG presented ACR features under the name “Viewing Information Agreement,” but the system could monitor and record nearly all content displayed on TV screens, including streaming services, cable broadcasts, and external input devices.
The complaint also alleges LG smart TVs present multiple consent items—terms of service, privacy policies, viewing information collection, voice data, and advertising and marketing agreements—simultaneously during initial setup. The Attorney General’s Office said this structure effectively forces consumers into blanket consent by making individual terms difficult to understand.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
