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ZDNET Highlights
- Smart TVs track viewing habits with ACR technology.
- The data collected drives billions of dollars in targeted advertising.
- Turning off ACR protects privacy but takes effort.
Did you know that whenever you turn on your smart TV, you invite an unseen guest to watch with you?
These days, most mainstream TVs use automatic content recognition (ACR), a type of ad-tracking technology that collects data on everything you watch and sends it to a central database. Manufacturers use this information to understand your viewing habits and deliver highly targeted advertisements.
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What is the incentive behind this invasive technology? According to market research firm eMarketer, advertisers will spend an estimated $18.6 billion on smart TV ads in 2022, and that number is only rising.
To understand how ACR works, imagine a constant, real-time Shazam-like service running in the background when your TV is on. It identifies the content displayed on your screen, including programs from a cable TV box, streaming services or gaming consoles. ACR does this by continuously capturing screenshots and cross-referencing them with huge databases of media content and advertisements.
according to Marck upACR can capture and recognize up to 7,200 images per hour, or approximately two images every second. This comprehensive tracking provides money-making insights for marketers and content distributors because it can reveal connections between an audience’s personal information and their favorite content. By “personal information” I mean email addresses, IP addresses – and even your physical street address.
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By understanding what audiences see and engage with, marketers can decide on content recommendations to create specific ad placements. They can also track ads that lead to purchases.
But the most disturbing thing is the possibility of exploitation. In the wrong hands, sensitive information collected through ACR can be exploited or misused, resulting in security risks or, in the worst case, identity theft.
Since ACR operates secretly in the background, many of us are not even aware of its active presence whenever we are enjoying our favorite show. Discontinuing ACR use is complex and sometimes challenging. Navigating through your TV settings may take several dozen clicks to better protect your privacy.
If you, like me, find this feature intrusive or annoying, there is a way to dismiss this data collection feature on your smart TV. This may require some patience, but below is a how-to list from five major brands that shows how to turn off ACR.
How to turn off ACR on Smart TV
- press Home button on your remote control.
- Navigate to the left to access the sidebar menu.
- In the sidebar menu, select Privacy options Option.
- select Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy Option.
- Make sure the checkbox for View information services Is uncontrolled. This will turn off ACR and any associated ad targeting.
- select Ok Option at the bottom of the screen to confirm your changes.
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- press Home button on your remote control to access the Home screen.
- press settings button on your remote.
- In the Settings side menu, select settings Option.
- Navigate to and select General Option.
- In the General menu, select System,
- choose additional settings,
- In Additional Settings, locate the Turn on and off toggle live plus Option.
LG also allows you to limit ad tracking, which can be found in Additional Settings.
- In the Additional Settings menu, select Advertisement,
- toggle on limit ad tracking Option.
You can also turn off domestic promotions and content recommendations:
- In the Additional Settings menu, select Home Settings,
- uncheck home improvement Option.
- uncheck content recommendation Option.
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- press Home button on your remote control to access the main menu.
- Navigate to and select settings,
- choose initial setup,
- Scroll down and select Samba Interactive TV,
- choose disable To turn off Samba TV, which is Sony’s ACR technology.
Sony also allows enhanced privacy by disabling ad personalization:
- Go settings,
- choose About this,
- choose Advertisement,
- turn off ad personalization,
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As an additional step, you can completely disable Samba Services Manager, which is embedded in the firmware of some Sony Bravia TVs as a third-party interactive app.
- Go settings,
- choose Apps,
- choose samba service manager,
- choose clear cache,
- choose force stop,
- Finally, select disable,
If your Sony TV uses Android TV, you should also turn off data storage for Chromecast:
- Open the Google Home app on your smartphone.
- tap menu icon.
- Select your TV from the list of devices.
- Tap the three dots in the upper right corner.
- choose settings,
- turn off Send Chromecast device usage data and crash reports.
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- press Home button on your remote control to access the main menu.
- Navigate to and select settings,
- choose System,
- choose confidentiality,
- Look for the option called smart tv experience, View information servicesOr something like that.
- Toggle this option to disable ACR.
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To disable personalized ads and opt out of content recommendations:
- In the Privacy menu, look for options like ad tracking Or interest-based advertising,
- Turn off this option.
- Look for options related to content recommendations or personalized content.
- Disable these features if you don’t want the TV to suggest content based on your viewing habits.
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- press Home button on your TCL TV remote control.
- Navigate to and select settings In the main menu.
- Scroll down and select confidentiality Option.
- look for smart tv experience And select it.
- Uncheck the option labeled or turn the toggle off Use information from TV input,
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For added privacy, TCL TVs offer a few more options, all of which can be found here confidentiality Menu:
- choose advertising,
- choose limit ad tracking,
- again, select advertising,
- uncheck personalized advertising,
- Now, still in the Privacy menu, select microphone,
- adjust channel microphone access And channel permissions as desired.
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Remember that while these steps will significantly reduce data collection, they may also limit some of your TV’s smart features. Also, it’s a good idea to check these settings from time to time to make sure they remain as you set them. Especially after software updates, your modified settings may sometimes revert to their default state.
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The driving force behind targeted ads on smart TVs is ACR technology, and its inclusion speaks volumes about manufacturers’ focus on monetizing user data rather than prioritizing consumers’ interests.
For most of us, ACR offers few tangible benefits, while real-time sharing of our viewing habits and preferences exposes us to potential privacy risks. By disabling ACR, you can help keep your data to yourself and enjoy watching with peace of mind.
Editor’s note: This article was first published in 2024. It was last fully updated, fact-checked and reviewed in October 2025.
