AVOID
Is it worse to get scammed by the promise of “investing” in a “smart” boob-tube, or to actually put one of these monstrosities in your home? I am not sure.
When even
the American FBI warns you that something is spying on you (!), well—you should probably pay attention:
Smart TVs are called that because they connect to the Internet. They allow you to use popular streaming services and apps. Many also have microphones for those of us who are too lazy to actually to pick up the remote. Just shout at your set that you want to change the channel or turn up the volume and you are good to go.
A number of the newer TV’s also have built-in cameras. In some cases, the cameras are used for facial recognition...
Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home. A bad cyber actor may not be able to access your locked-down computer directly, but it is possible that your unsecured TV can give him or her an easy way in the backdoor through your router.
Hackers can also take control of your unsecured TV. At the low end of the risk spectrum, they can change channels, play with the volume, and show your kids inappropriate videos. In a worst-case scenario, they can turn on your bedroom TV's camera and microphone and silently cyberstalk you.
If they are just worried about this
now, then maybe the FBI is behind the times. As the
Electronic Frontier Foundation warned at least five years ago:
As the devices in our homes get "smarter," are they also going to spy on us? [...]
The comparisons to 1984's two-way "telescreens" are straightforward. [...]
Given that these devices are networked and can often be updated remotely, user privacy is at the mercy of not just the manufacturer, but anybody who can convince, coerce, or compromise it, to modify the software or collect additional information.
And things have gotten worse since 2015! In 2015, the “smart” TVs did not have
cameras (!)—and did not have cameras with facial recognition (!!). By the way,
are you planning to put one of these in your bedroom!? Or “only” in your living room?
Moreover, the “smart” TVs
spy on your viewing habits, your websurfing, etc.:
Why are TVs so cheap now? Well, your smart TV is watching you and making extra money, tooLOS ANGELES – Your smart TV is watching you. And making money off you as well.
That’s why the prices of TVs have fallen so dramatically over the last five years.
A mix of lower LCD prices, more intense competition and new ways to profit off the consumer once the set enters our homes have turned the boob tube into something more like a razor. And we, the viewers, are the razor blades.
Bill Baxter, the Chief Technology Officer for TV set giant Vizio, referred to it as the
"post-purchase monetization" of the TV on a recent podcast interview with the
Verge.
Translated, that means that more ads are coming at you via prominent branded movie and TV channels on smart TVs. These channels share ad revenues with set manufacturers like Vizio, Samsung, LG, an avenue that didn't exist in the pre-streaming era. They also profit by selling data of your viewing histories to programmers and marketers.
The manufacturers have been tracking viewers on smart TVs for several years, but it wasn't until 2017 and beyond that more consumers started buying smart sets, which negate the need for a streaming device like a Roku or Fire Stick to bring in online entertainment from the likes of Netflix and Hulu.
Today, virtually all TVs sold are smart TVs, says Steve Koenig of the Consumer Technology Association.
[...]
Once "smart TVs" began to become popular, manufacturers saw a new opportunity in treating the set as a "glass window" to our viewing habits and reporting them to marketers for a fee, in a process called Automatic Content Recognition or ACR.
In 2017, Vizio settled with the Federal Trade Commission and New Jersey's attorney general office for $2.2 million, when it was charged with collecting data without the consent of users.
[...]
If "I Spy TV" sounds creepy, well, how about those other tech devices in your home?
"This pales in comparison," says Jodie McAfee, a senior vice-president of Inscape, which collects data from over 10 million Vizio smart TVs. "What a TV is generating on data is not nearly as granular. It just knows what shows I’m watching and whether the ad is being viewed."
Compare that to a smartphone, which tracks your every move in the house, both physically and on the device. It knows what websites you've been to, who you called and texted with, what products you purchased, and if you turned on Facebook or signed into Google, your age, demographic, salary and more.
That last part is true, strictly speaking: A “smart” TV is not as bad as
a “smart” phone. However, that is like comparing syphilis to HIV.
Anyway, (un)fortunately(?), OP here is almost certainly not even involved in the traffic of these obscenely horrible devices. He just wants for you to send money, because—free money for him, LOL!
SCAM
