I would be upset if my tv sent a single byte of information out. I use an old lcd and if it ever dies, I just don’t even know what we’ll do. Can you even buy TVs anymore that don’t spy on you?
Actually, I recall articles which mention certain brands would look for nearby unsecured networks. All of that goes out the window if vendors start provisioning SIMs and use the cellular network.
I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't have some code for looking for undersecured networks capable of being exploited to derive credentials, though at least then you'd have grounds to sue under CFAA.
This is HN lore. Commented many times, but no one has the proof.
I have an old Vizio and 2 Samsungs. Configured them wired to updated the firmware then blocked the port on the switch. I use an AppleTV for everything as I know what it is sharing.
It doesn't even need that, really. Zigbee and similar long range wireless mesh networks are very realistic (and probably cheaper) for basic usage data.
Bandwidth is much more limited so it probably won't send screenshots of what you're watching like has been reported with some TVs. Screenshots aren't really needed, though, when there's a host of other metadata and on-device processing available.
As someone who runs a Zigbee network at home, this won’t work. The signal strength across my small apartment was marginal at best, there’s no way you could plop down zigbee devices at random and hope that they could find each other, especially between detached houses.
LoRa claims 2-5 km range in urban areas or 15 km suburban, with even larger variability in rural areas depending on line of sight and landscape features.
Zigbee claims I found vary from 10 to 100 meters.
LoRa is pretty cheap, and there are a lot of gateways around to piggy back off if you don't want to set up your own.
You can see a map of one network of gateways here:
Vith Vizio data you get a log whenever user use its remote to (un)pause, go forward, or change channel.
I'm not sure LoRa has enough bandwidth to send the usual data. However, it is still possible to send a lightly simpler data (not doing ACR on everything, but identify channels only)
But would it worth it right now ? Until a large portion of buyers disable (now or in the next few years) the full data collection, it seems unlikely to me.
Embedded SIMs won't be an insurmountable problem as long as the TV can work without network connectivity, but they'll be very inconvenient to deal with.
A destructive approach would involve desoldering the chip or unplugging the antenna. A nondestructive approach would involve Faraday-caging the television: a mesh or aluminum foil taped around where the antenna resides.
2 years ago with a Samsung tv: no network, no terms and conditions signed, no terms signed, the tv would always forget to use the same input it was using before restart (degraded functionality). I never tried to remove the network after I signed the terms, maybe it woul have still worked.