By Joshua Huff, sports editor
As the spread of technology has permeated throughout our homes, it has become common knowledge that those devices that help streamline nearly everything in our lives have become a tool to help monitor and capitalize upon our interests and desires.
Many people received smart TVs this holiday season. Though cheap, they come with a catch: manufactures can monitor your viewing and report those findings to third-party companies, which pay for the information.
Thankfully, there are several ways to stop manufactures from entering your home and selling your information. Granted, you can always turn off Wi-Fi to completely stop the monitoring, but here are several steps on how to turn off automated content recognition (ACR).
TCL/Roku
- Go to settings to turn off ACR.
- Go to Privacy
- Click on Smart TV Experience
- Make sure all options are unchecked.
LG
- Go to Menu
- Click Settings
- Go to General
- Look for LivePlus (turn off)
Samsung
- Go to Settings
- Click Support, then Terms & Policies
- Choose Viewing Information Services
- Uncheck the ACR tab
Sony
- Go to Settings
- Go to Setup
- Turnoff ACR
Vizio
- Go to System
- Click on Reset & Admin
- Opt for Viewing Date to stop ACR