Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/2/2015 (1648 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
SEOUL, South Korea -- Watch what you say in your living room. Samsung's smart TV could be listening. And sharing.
Voice-recognition technology in the South Korean company's Internet-connected TVs captures and transmits nearby conversations.
The potential for TVs to eavesdrop is revealed in Samsung's smart-TV privacy policy available on its website.
"Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition," the policy said.
Subscribers Log in below to continue reading,
not a subscriber? Create an account to start a 30 day free trial.
Log in Create your account
Your free trial has come to an end.
We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article.
For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription:
Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs!
Your free trial has come to an end.
We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article.
For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription:
Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs!
We hope you have enjoyed your free trial!
To continue reading, select a plan below:
All Access Digital
Introductory pricing*
99¢
per month
- Unlimited online reading and commenting
- Daily newspaper replica e-Edition
- News Break - our award-winning iOS app
- Exclusive perks & discounts
Continue
Read Now Pay Later
Pay
27¢
per article
- Commitment-free
- Cancel anytime
- Only pay for what you read
- Refunds available
Continue
*Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year.
We hope you have enjoyed your free trial!
To continue reading, select a plan below:
Read Now Pay Later
Pay
27¢
per article
- Commitment-free
- Cancel anytime
- Only pay for what you read
- Refunds available
Continue
All Access Digital
Introductory pricing*
99¢
per month
- Unlimited online reading and commenting
- Daily newspaper replica e-Edition
- News Break - our award-winning iOS app
- Exclusive perks & discounts
Continue
Mon to Sat Delivery
Pay
$34.36
per month
- Includes all benefits of All Access Digital
- 6-day delivery of our award-winning newspaper
Continue
*Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year.
We hope you have enjoyed your free trial!
To continue reading, select a plan below:
All Access Digital
Introductory pricing*
99¢
per month
- Unlimited online reading and commenting
- Daily newspaper replica e-Edition
- News Break - our award-winning iOS app
- Exclusive perks & discounts
Continue
Read Now Pay Later
Pay
27¢
per article
- Commitment-free
- Cancel anytime
- Only pay for what you read
- Refunds available
Continue
*Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year.
We hope you have enjoyed your free trial!
To continue reading, select a plan below:
Read Now Pay Later
Pay
27¢
per article
- Commitment-free
- Cancel anytime
- Only pay for what you read
- Refunds available
Continue
All Access Digital
Introductory pricing*
99¢
per month
- Unlimited online reading and commenting
- Daily newspaper replica e-Edition
- News Break - our award-winning iOS app
- Exclusive perks & discounts
Continue
*Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year.
Your free trial has come to an end.
We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article.
For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription:
Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs!
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/2/2015 (1648 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
SEOUL, South Korea — Watch what you say in your living room. Samsung's smart TV could be listening. And sharing.
Voice-recognition technology in the South Korean company's Internet-connected TVs captures and transmits nearby conversations.
The potential for TVs to eavesdrop is revealed in Samsung's smart-TV privacy policy available on its website.
"Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition," the policy said.
For the voice-command feature to work, the TV listens for speech that is translated by third-party software into text and sent back to the TV as a command. Samsung declined to name the software company.
Samsung said data collection is aimed at improving TV performance, but users can disable it.
In a statement, the company said it takes consumer privacy "very seriously."
"We employ industry-standard security safeguards and practices, including data encryption, to secure consumers' personal information and prevent unauthorized collection or use."
— The Associated Press
You can comment on most stories on The Winnipeg Free Press website. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or digital subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
Have Your Say
Comments are open to The Winnipeg Free Press print or digital subscribers only. why?
Log in SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to The Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeBy submitting your comment, you agree to abide by our Community Standards and Moderation Policy. These guidelines were revised effective February 27, 2019. Have a question about our comment forum? Check our frequently asked questions.