Is Your Office TV Listening? What the LG Smart TV Controversy Means for Businesses
First Contact is a managed IT service provider (MSP) based in Whitefield, Manchester, founded in 2001, offering IT support, cybersecurity, network management and Microsoft 365 support for growing businesses.
There's a TV in your meeting room. It's been there for years. It has sat through every budget review, every restructure chat and every client pitch, and not once has it offered an opinion. Which is exactly what you want from a telly.
Then, earlier this month, a group of researchers suggested some TVs might be paying rather more attention than we thought.
If you've only got a minute: In September 2026, an investigation by Gamers Nexus, Level1Techs and independent security researchers claimed LG smart TVs scan home networks, track viewing habits and could be made to record audio. LG strongly denies that its TVs record conversations. The bit everyone agrees on: a smart TV is a computer with a microphone sitting on your network. Treat it like one. Update it, switch off the data features you don't need, and keep it off the network your business actually runs on.
The plot twist nobody ordered: what the researchers found
The investigation landed as a two-hour video from YouTube channel Gamers Nexus, working with Level1Techs and independent security researchers. They tested several LG models, watched what the TVs were sending over the internet and took the software apart to see what it was up to.
Their main claims, in plain English:
The TVs look around the network. They spotted the other devices sharing the Wi-Fi, from phones and laptops to printers and smart speakers, plus the names of nearby Wi-Fi networks.
The TVs recognise what you're watching. A feature called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) works like Shazam for your screen, identifying shows and adverts to build a picture of your viewing habits.
A hacked TV could become a bug. The researchers showed that a compromised TV could record audio even when it looked switched off, and hold on to recordings until it got back online.
There are security holes. They say they have reported serious vulnerabilities to LG and are keeping the details quiet while those get fixed.
Their headline called it 216 million "spy TVs". Not exactly subtle. Which brings us to the other side of the argument.
LG's side of the story: what the company says
LG has pushed back hard. The company says its TVs only process your voice when you hold down the microphone button on the remote, or when you have switched on hands-free voice control and said the wake word "Hi LG". It says listening for that wake word happens on the TV itself, and anything that isn't the wake word is deleted straight away rather than sent anywhere.
LG did confirm the TVs scan the local network, but says that's standard: it's how casting from your phone, sharing media and connecting smart-home gadgets works. It also says ACR stays off until you agree to it during setup.
It's worth being fair here. The audio demonstration relied on a TV that had already been compromised, which isn't the same as showing that an ordinary LG TV in an ordinary living room is eavesdropping. Security firm Malwarebytes made the same point in its coverage.
It's not LG's first time in the spotlight, though. Back in 2013, a UK blogger found his LG set was sending viewing information back to the company even with the relevant setting switched off, and LG launched an investigation. More recently, the Texas Attorney General sued LG, Samsung, Sony, Hisense and TCL over ACR in December 2025. LG settled in May 2026 and agreed to get clear, explicit consent before collecting viewing data.
The boardroom telly problem: why businesses should care
Here's the thing. Whether LG is right, the researchers are right, or the truth sits somewhere in the middle (it usually does), the lesson for your business doesn't change.
A smart TV isn't really a TV any more. It's a computer with a screen, an app store, a microphone and a Wi-Fi connection. And in a lot of offices, it's plugged into exactly the same network as the finance team's laptops, the shared drive and the card machine.
Think of your network as your building. Your staff have keys. Visitors get a lanyard and an escort. The smart TV, meanwhile, has been handed a master key and left to wander. If it ever gets compromised, it's already inside, standing next to everything worth taking.
That's not paranoia. It's the same reason nobody plugs a mystery USB stick into the server. Anything connected is a door. The only question is which rooms it opens.
Not panic, just housekeeping: five sensible fixes
Give it its own network. Put TVs, speakers and other smart gadgets on a separate guest or smart devices network so they can't see your business kit. This is the single biggest win.
Switch off what you don't use. In the TV's privacy or user agreement settings, turn off viewing information, ACR, personalised ads and voice recognition. Nobody needs a meeting room TV that takes voice commands.
Keep it updated. Install software updates when they arrive. When a TV stops getting updates, treat that as its retirement notice.
Read before you tap Agree. Setup screens are designed to be clicked through. The optional bits are optional for a reason.
Consider a less chatty screen. For meeting rooms, a plain display with a separate casting device you control is often cheaper, simpler and far more discreet.
And if you'd rather not crawl behind the boardroom cabinet with a torch, that's what we're here for.
Key takeaway
You don't need to throw your telly in a skip. You just need to stop thinking of it as a telly. Every screen, speaker and gadget in your office is a small computer, and small computers need the same basic care as big ones: updates, sensible settings and a network that keeps them in their lane. Do that, and the question of who's listening gets a lot less interesting.
FAQs
Are LG smart TVs spying on people?
Researchers allege LG smart TVs collect a lot of data, including information about other devices on your network and what you watch. LG denies that its TVs record conversations and says voice is only processed when you activate it. The audio recording shown by the researchers involved a TV that had been deliberately compromised.
What is ACR on a smart TV?
ACR stands for Automatic Content Recognition. It identifies what is on your screen by matching it against a database, a bit like Shazam for your telly, and is mainly used for advertising and viewing measurement. On most smart TVs you can switch it off in the privacy settings.
How do I stop my smart TV collecting data?
Go into the TV's settings, usually under Privacy, General or User Agreements, and turn off viewing information, ACR, personalised adverts and voice recognition. Keep the software up to date and decline optional agreements during setup.
Should a business put smart TVs on a separate network?
Yes. Putting smart TVs and other connected gadgets on their own network stops them seeing your business computers and files. If one is ever compromised, the damage stays contained. It is one of the simplest security wins an office can make.
Can First Contact help secure smart devices in our office?
Yes. First Contact is a Manchester-based managed IT provider that sets up network separation, device security and ongoing monitoring for growing businesses, so meeting room screens and smart gadgets stay useful without becoming a risk.