Your Smart TV Can Track Viewing: How to Reduce What It Shares

Some smart TVs can work out what is on the screen and send information about it to a company. This can happen even when a show comes from a separate streaming box.

You can start by turning off the TV's viewing-data settings. Datante adds another way to reduce sharing: it can block selected tracking connections from TVs using your Datante settings.

How can a TV recognise a show?

Some TVs use automatic content recognition, or ACR. That means checking patterns in what is playing and matching them with known shows or ads.

A content fingerprint is a code used to help make that match. It is not necessarily a photo of your screen sent to someone else.

Different TVs work differently. Do not assume every TV uploads screenshots every half-second.

In a 2024 study of Samsung and LG TVs in the UK and U.S., researchers found this tracking during HDMI use. HDMI is the cable connection often used to link a streaming box or game console to a TV.

That means adding a streaming box did not automatically stop the TV's own tracking on those tested models. The study did not test every TV or every version of its software.

There is also an older example. In 2017, the Federal Trade Commission announced a VIZIO settlement. This U.S. consumer agency described claims that TVs collected viewing histories without clear permission. That case does not mean every TV does this today.

Why doesn't my browser ad blocker cover the TV?

A browser is the app you use to visit websites, such as Chrome or Safari. An ad blocker added to it works inside that browser.

Your TV has its own software and connections. A browser blocker on your laptop does not control them.

A VPN, or virtual private network, protects covered connections while they travel through a VPN service. But tracking information can still reach the company receiving it. A protected journey does not stop the receiver collecting the information.

Some VPNs add blocking tools. Check which devices and connections those tools cover.

How does Datante help?

Devices often ask for a service's network address before connecting. DNS, short for Domain Name System, answers that question. The service's name is called a domain.

Datante can block the usual address lookup for selected tracking domains covered by enabled rules. That may stop a connection that needs the answer.

Your router is the box that connects your home devices to the internet. Setting it up with Datante can help compatible wired and Wi-Fi devices that use those settings. You do not need a browser extension on the TV.

Datante's reports show household lookups and filtering decisions. Some activity can be grouped by device family when there is enough evidence. That is not proof of one exact TV, who watched it, or which show was playing.

What can't Datante stop?

It cannot switch off the TV's own viewing-recognition feature. Use the TV settings for that.

It also cannot block every way a device connects. A tracking name might not be covered by a rule. A TV might remember an address, connect directly to an address, or use different DNS settings.

Sometimes tracking and a feature you need use the same domain. Blocking it may affect streaming. Check the problem before allowing a name again. Allowing it could also let tracking return.

Datante cannot take back information already shared or remove every ad inside a streaming service.

What should you do now?

1. Look in the TV's settings for viewing data, ACR or content recognition. Names vary by brand.
2. Check personalised ads and the TV's phone app permissions. Personalised ads use information about you to choose ads.
3. Install supported TV software updates. This built-in software is often called firmware.
4. Follow Datante's router guide. Check both address types, IPv4 and IPv6, where the guide applies. These are two versions of network addresses.
5. Review blocked lookups without treating them as a list of shows someone watched.

Turning off the tracking setting stopped the observed ACR server traffic on the TVs in the 2024 study. That is a reason to check the setting. It is not a promise that every TV's switch works the same way.

Frequently asked questions

Does using an HDMI cable make my TV private?

Not automatically. The researchers found tracking during HDMI use on their tested TVs. Check both the TV and the connected device.

Can Datante remove every streaming ad?

No. Some ads arrive through the same services as the show, or through connections outside Datante's settings.

Can Datante tell me exactly what someone watched?

No. A DNS lookup does not prove the exact viewing content or who was watching.

Give your TV another privacy control

Compare Datante's protection levels and follow the setup guide.

Use the TV's privacy settings to limit its own collection. Add Datante to reduce selected tracking connections from the TV and other devices using your home's settings.