Researcher says Samsung TVs can listen through connected soundbars
Original title: Samsung TVs without mics may listen through soundbars, researcher says
The unverified claim says an “always on voice” package reports events and that turning ACR off may not stop telemetry.
A reverse engineer using the name log4j claims a 2025 Samsung TV collected room audio without consent through a package called “always on voice.” They say TVs without microphones look for connected soundbars or Bluetooth microphones, and that the set also gathered geolocation, mapped the local network, and tracked viewing behavior. Samsung has not commented, and the claims are not independently verified. Separate ACR lawsuits and a Texas settlement show earlier disputes over Samsung viewing-data collection.
Unconfirmed: log4j’s claims are unverified, and Samsung does not appear to have commented.
- log4j says logged events included dogs barking and babies crying.
- Samsung advertises on-device Pet Care and Family Care detection on some AI TVs.
- Texas settled with Samsung over express consent for ACR viewing data.
- A New York class action was voluntarily dismissed in July.
- A California complaint filed this month alleges unclear ACR collection.
Impact: Alleged collection of room audio, viewing, location, and network data
| Product | Affected |
|---|---|
| Samsung smart TV | 2025 model claimed by researcher |
- 1.Turn off ACR, internet-based advertising, and voice recognition where available.
- 2.Disconnect the TV from Wi-Fi if immediate privacy is the priority.
- Vendors
- Samsung
- Products
- Samsung smart TV
- Organizations
- EPIC
- Countries
- United States
From the original article
3 min read at malwarebytes.com
The most startling claim is that a Samsung TV without a built-in microphone may use a connected soundbar or Bluetooth microphone to listen to the room.
By @malwarebytes · malwarebytes.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.