(Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images)
AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing five television manufacturers for "spying on Texans" through content recognition software.
Paxton cites ties to the Chinese Communist Party for some of the companies, implying the government the corporations are based in could be using Texans' data for nefarious purposes.
Texas TV lawsuit
Paxton is concerned over Automated Content Recognition technology, which recognizes the sights and sounds on some TV sets for content optimization.
The attorney general refers to ACR as "an uninvited, invisible digital invader," saying it sends your data back to the company without your consent.
Paxton is suing Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL Technology Group Corporation ("TCL") over the tech. The last two are based in China, prompting Paxton's national privacy fears.
What is ACR technology?
In the most basic terms, ACR technology sees and hears what you're watching so it can get an idea of your taste in content, and then recommend things you might like based on what you've seen.
This technology is typically opt-in, meaning you have to agree to let your TV use it. If your TV doesn't ask your permission, the feature can still be turned off in the user settings.
'Invasive, deceptive, and unlawful'
What they're saying:
"Companies, especially those connected to the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording Americans’ devices inside their own homes," said Paxton in his release. "This conduct is invasive, deceptive, and unlawful. The fundamental right to privacy will be protected in Texas because owning a television does not mean surrendering your personal information to Big Tech or foreign adversaries."
FOX Local has reached out to the five companies named in the lawsuit. Of the five, Hisense and LG responded, both saying it's company policy to refrain from commenting on pending legal matters. The other three companies had yet to respond at the time of publishing.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the office of the Texas attorney general.