Smart TVs Mimic Phones, Raising Privacy Concerns

Tech companies are redesigning smartphone apps for smart TVs, merging the two screens into a unified tracking ecosystem. Google's Photos app now works on Samsung smart TVs, YouTube added Gemini-powered summaries to its TV app in March, and Instagram is adapting Reels for larger screens. Smart TVs sit in 77% of U.S. households and collect viewing habits, screenshots, audio, and time-of-day data, which is combined with mobile and social media profiles for advertising. After Vizio settled FTC charges in 2017 for unauthorized data harvesting, manufacturers now use default opt-ins and obscure opt-outs. TVs command higher ad rates than mobile, incentivizing apps like Pinterest to launch TV versions. Companies like Amazon and Google restrict sideloading to authorized app stores. TV makers profit more from ads than device sales, a gap widened by AI disruptions, chip shortages, and global instability. Kentucky passed a bill classifying TV-viewing patterns as sensitive data. Samsung reached an agreement with Texas to disclose tracking methods. California enacted a law 11 years ago requiring consent for voice recognition. Further federal regulation is unlikely after the 2017 Vizio-FTC settlement.