What the LG Smart TV Standby Investigation Alleged—and How to Protect Your Privacy

Reports on an investigation by Gamers Nexus, Level1Techs, and independent security researchers raised a pointed question for smart-TV owners: what does “off” actually mean when a TV is in standby?

The investigation alleged that certain retail LG OLED televisions continued to perform significant data-related activity with the screen dark. Reporting based on the researchers’ packet captures and testing says the TVs identified devices on a local network, collected names and signal information from nearby Wi-Fi networks, used automated content recognition (ACR), and handled microphone-derived data. The researchers further alleged that some information could remain stored locally while a TV was offline and be transmitted after it reconnected. 4825

These are allegations based on testing of specific devices, not a finding that every LG TV behaves the same way or that every claim has been independently adjudicated.

What the researchers said they observed

According to coverage of the investigation, the tested TVs performed local-network discovery that could identify devices such as phones, PCs, printers, switches, and smart-home hardware. The researchers also said the sets collected nearby Wi-Fi network names and signal data. 25

The most sensitive allegation involved the microphone. Reports said the team observed microphone audio handling while a display appeared to be off, including data that could be kept on the device without an internet connection and uploaded later after connectivity returned. Reporting also linked the alleged data flows to LG’s advertising infrastructure. 4825

The investigation additionally focused on ACR, a technology that can use audio and video samples to recognize what is playing on a television, including content arriving through TV inputs. That makes the concern broader than the apps installed on the TV itself: viewing activity may be measured across different ways of watching. 48

LG’s response is central to the dispute

The key disagreement is not simply whether a TV has a microphone or conducts network activity; it is how to interpret the behavior observed by the researchers.

LG reportedly said voice data is processed for its voice-recognition function and denied that its TVs record ambient conversations. It also characterized network scanning as related to device features and services rather than indiscriminate mapping of a household. The available reporting does not independently settle whether the activity documented in the tests exceeded those stated purposes. 248

That distinction matters. A microphone being available for hands-free voice commands is different from recording unrelated room audio, and service discovery is different from collecting a detailed inventory for advertising or profiling. Consumers should treat the public claims as a reason to review settings and updates—not as proof that all LG models act identically.

The reported webOS security issues

The researchers also said they had disclosed remote-code-execution vulnerabilities affecting webOS to LG and were withholding exploit details during responsible disclosure. Coverage confirms that security weaknesses were part of the investigation, but the material available publicly here does not establish affected components, attack requirements, CVE identifiers, or whether patches are available for every model. 25

That lack of public technical detail is a practical reason to keep firmware current. It is also a reason not to rely on sensational claims about a particular exploit path until LG or the researchers publish verified advisory information.

Why ACR is the wider smart-TV privacy issue

ACR is the privacy setting most owners can act on immediately. It is designed to recognize viewing content for analytics and advertising purposes, and it can apply to content shown through external inputs as well as built-in streaming apps. 48

Privacy controls vary by brand, model, region, webOS version, and setup choices. It is not safe to assume that ACR is enabled by default on every TV from LG, Samsung, Sony, Vizio, or Roku—or that the setting has the same name everywhere. But the underlying trade-off is consistent: features that personalize recommendations or advertising may rely on more data collection than a viewer wants.

On LG webOS TVs, ACR is commonly labeled Live Plus. Reported navigation is Settings → General → System → Advanced Settings → Live Plus, though menu names can vary. 2 Another guide lists All Settings → General → System → Additional Settings, where users can switch off Live Plus and enable a setting such as Limit Ad Tracking. 40

Practical steps for LG TV owners

1. Install firmware updates

Keep webOS and installed apps updated. This is especially important while reported security issues are under responsible disclosure. 25

2. Turn off data-sharing features you do not use

Review and disable, where available:

• Live Plus or ACR
• personalized advertising and ad-tracking settings
• viewing or device-usage data sharing
• voice recognition and hands-free voice features

Turning off Live Plus is the clearest available step for limiting LG’s ACR layer. 240

3. Put the TV on a separate network

Use a guest Wi-Fi network or a dedicated IoT VLAN when possible. The goal is to keep the TV separated from computers, network-attached storage, work devices, and sensitive smart-home controllers. This does not stop the TV from reaching the internet, but it can reduce what it can discover or reach on the home network.

4. Reduce standby connectivity

If you do not need fast startup, network wake, or remote-control features, consider disabling quick-start and network-wake options. If smart features are unnecessary, disconnecting the TV from Wi-Fi or Ethernet is the more decisive privacy control—at the cost of streaming apps, updates, and connected features.

5. Recheck settings after updates

Firmware updates can alter menus, permissions, and defaults. Revisit privacy and voice settings periodically rather than treating initial setup choices as permanent.

Bottom line

The investigation’s most consequential claim is that some tested LG OLED TVs remained active in apparent standby in ways that could expose information about a household’s devices, nearby networks, viewing, and potentially microphone-derived data. LG challenged the interpretation, saying voice processing is tied to voice recognition and denying ambient-conversation recording. 482

Until fuller technical disclosures and responses resolve those differences, the sensible approach is precautionary: update the TV, disable ACR and voice features you do not need, and isolate it from sensitive devices on your home network.