[wilkystyle]

> you can avoid installing the latest software — but that means you won't get any security updates, which are important

They're not important if nothing can connect to the TV.

> Or you can disable your TV's connection to the internet so it can't send information back, but that obviously makes it less useful

It is far from obvious because smart TVs are nothing more than data collection devices running thoughtlessly designed and user-hostile reskins of the android operating system and running on criminally underpowered hardware.

> [...] and will also disable the voice controls anyway.

Good.

No TV of mine ever has or ever will get a connection to the Internet. It is a dumb display panel whose only job is to try not to corrupt an otherwise perfectly fine HDMI signal from my Apple TV with stupid gimmicks like AI picture enhancement and software frame smoothing/interpolation.

[garciansmith]

This is also about monitors (as per the article, even the title...). Those are dumb and can't connect to the internet, but as soon as you connect them to a Windows 11 PC software is automatically downloaded.

"As Gamers Nexus reports, some LG monitors appear to be installing adware on Windows PCs without asking for permission: in addition to the LG Monitor App Installer, they also install McAfee Scam Detector."

[andrekandre]

  > monitors appear to be installing adware on Windows PCs without asking for permission

thats insane, does that mean windows security is basically being bypassed? (as an ex windows user i may ask this already knowing the answer, but anyways...)

[justinclift]

> does that mean windows security is basically being bypassed?

Good question. It's probably not, in that the installer and whatever it installs have probably been signed by something official that Windows trusts.

That's just my guessing though.

--

It'd also be interesting to see what happens with non-Windows based computers. ie macOS and Linux users that plug an affected LG monitor in

[wao0uuno]

It takes advantage of Windows Update feature that automatically installs manufacturer’s software once a supported device is connected. Microsoft takes partial responsibility for allowing this in the first place. Linux and macOS devices are not affected.

[justinclift]

Heh. Ubuntu has a mechanism for installing manufacturer drivers too... ;)

[wao0uuno]

Drivers, not software suites and it's opt in and not opt out like on Windows. If you're still unhappy about it then with Linux you have a choice. You can switch to another distro like for example Fedora instead.

[abrookewood]

I used to take this position, but weirdly enough, the app store version of Jellyfin worked better than the one I had loaded onto a FireTV, so I changed my mind. Might need to revisit that decision.