If you thought the worst thing your smart TV could do was suggest another true-crime documentary at 2 a.m., Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton just raised the stakes.
Paxton has filed separate lawsuits against five major television manufacturers — Samsung, Sony, LG, Hisense, and TCL — alleging that their built-in Automated Content Recognition (ACR) systems secretly record what people watch in their homes and sell that data on the open market.
If the complaints are true, your binge habits may have been monetized one screenshot at a time.
What the Lawsuits Say (the short, very alarming version)
According to the filings, the manufacturers installed ACR software that takes screenshots of the TV display roughly every 500 milliseconds — that’s two screenshots per second — and monitors viewing across streaming apps, cable, and input sources like gaming consoles or Blu-ray players.
The state claims this data is then transmitted back to the manufacturers and, allegedly, onward to third parties for targeted advertising — all without consumers’ explicit, informed consent.
Paxton says those practices violate the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and amount to an “uninvited, invisible digital invader” in the home.
The suits seek civil penalties and injunctive relief to stop the collection and sale of ACR data.
Texas also moved quickly to cut off one alleged offender: a temporary restraining order (TRO) has been secured against Hisense, immediately halting its data-collection activities while the litigation proceeds.
The TRO signals the state court found at least some immediate legal reason to pause the allegedly questionable behavior.
Why the China Connection Matters in this Case
The complaints single out Hisense and TCL for additional scrutiny because both companies are based in China.
Paxton’s filings express national-security concerns, warning that China’s national security laws could allow the Chinese government access to consumer viewing data.
In blunt language, the lawsuits call the devices “Chinese-sponsored surveillance devices,” arguing that the potential for foreign state access elevates the risk beyond ordinary privacy harms.
Those allegations are part legal claim, part public-policy alarm bell — and they’re sure to intensify political and regulatory attention.
How Manufacturers are Responding (or not)
At the time of the filings, several companies declined to discuss the cases.
Sony, LG, and Hisense have said it is their policy not to comment on pending litigation.
The suits against Samsung and TCL likewise set the scene for protracted courtroom fights; the companies will almost certainly argue they obtained consent in privacy policies or that ACR is lawful and widely disclosed.
The legal question will hinge on what notice and consent consumers actually received, how granular that consent was, and whether Texas law treats this kind of data collection as a deceptive trade practice.
Practical Takeaway for Viewers and Shoppers
Paxton’s office issued a consumer alert explaining that users have a right to privacy in their homes and offering general guidance on disabling ACR in TV settings.
The details vary by model and firmware, but the typical steps are: check your TV’s privacy or viewing-data settings, opt out of “viewing data,” turn off voice or smart features you don’t use, and update your device’s software.
If you’re concerned, the state suggests contacting the manufacturer and your retailer for more explicit instructions — and keeping records if you were told the TV wouldn’t collect personal viewing data.
Why This Case Matters
Beyond the immediate courtroom drama, the lawsuits raise broader questions about how much surveillance we tolerate in the name of convenience and personalization.
ACR can power useful features (automatic content recognition for remote control guides, for example), but when the telemetry leaves your living room and becomes a commodity, regulators — and consumers — push back.
If Texas prevails, it could reshape disclosure standards and push manufacturers to adopt stronger on-screen consent flows, clearer default settings, or more stringent limitations on what telemetry is collected and sold.
For now, the litigation is raw, partisan and high-stakes: privacy advocates cheer the scrutiny, industry groups warn of lost innovation or fractured advertising markets, and millions of streamers are left asking whether the next recommended episode is truly just a suggestion — or a sold data point.
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Sources summary (brief): Court filings and public complaint summaries from the Texas Attorney General’s office alleging ACR data capture and sale by Samsung, Sony, LG, Hisense, and TCL under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act; reporting on an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO) obtained against Hisense; public statements from manufacturers noting standard policy of non-comment on pending litigation; and a consumer alert issued by the Texas AG’s office with guidance on disabling ACR features in smart TVs. (All allegations described above are from the lawsuits; companies’ defenses and final outcomes will be determined in court.)
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