

How can I disable the Samba TV Interactive TV?.How can I delete my TV’s content viewing history collected by the Samba Interactive TV?.How can I disassociate the advertising information the Samba Interactive TV links to my TV?.Will the Samba Interactive TV know what content I will be watching?.How can I start using the Samba Interactive TV?.

SAMBA INTERACTIVE TV COLLECTION HOW TO
If you need to confirm your TV model type, refer to the How to check if your BRAVIA TV is a Google TV™, Android TV™, or other TV article. Smart TVs use image recognition to identify what is on your screen, regardless of input source, in order to collect data and target ads across devices, according to The New York Times.Important Note: This article only applies to specific products, operating systems, and Countries. Sony, Sharp, TCL and Philips use Samba TV for this purpose. Your TV knows what you’re watchingStreaming providers know exactly what you are watching on their respective services. They use this data as a basis for business decisions, statistics, and sometimes to target ads on the service. Systems built deep into modern Smart TVs, however, are far more sophisticated. They use so-called ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) to do real-time image recognition. This allows them to track everything you are watching, regardless of the input source being an app, a TV channel, a console game, or a vacation photo. Samba Interactive TV is one of the key players on the market. The New York Times reports that Samba TV is currently integrated in TVs from Sony, Sharp, TCL, and Philips, amongst others. In the US alone, they can collect usage data from 13.5 million Smart TVs but the system has also been deployed in other regions, including Europe.

The company itself confirms that its technology is also found in TVs from Toshiba, Grundig, Beko, Arcelik, AOC, Westinghouse, Element, Magnavox, Seiki, and Sanyo.īesides the tracking practices, several users have demonstrated how Samba TV negatively affects performance on Sony Android TVs. It simply makes the user interface noticeably more sluggish to navigate. On for example a Sony Android TV the user is presented with a screen to explain that Samba TV collects data in order to offer personalized recommendations.Īlso read: Guide: How to turn off Smart TV tracking (ACR) Samba TV is opt-in during setup of the TV, the company pointed out. The New York Times presents a different version of the truth. It details how the system initially creates a “content ID” for the viewer or household that is used to create a “device map” for all associated digital devices. In this way Samba TV can track 1 billion devices with the Smart TV as the “master key”. The method can be used to map behavior, habits, preferences, and more. The data can also be used to target ads across devices and The New York Times claims that Samba TV has “even offered advertisers the ability to base their targeting on whether people watch conservative or liberal media outlets”. Samba TV is not aloneSamba TV is not alone in using ACR technology. Analyst company Nielsen has acquired Gracenote, which supplies programming data used in the TV guide on many Smart TVs. Through Gracenote, Nielsen is implementing its so-called Grabix system that collects statistical data using ACR technology. The New York Times says that Inscape and Alphonso have employed similar systems. Inscape is best known as Vizio’s partner in the US case where Vizio paid $2.2 million to settle with FTC because it had been collecting data without users’ consent.Īlphonso has previously been named in a case where mainly Android smartphones would use the built-in microphone to record audio from your living room TV, and use audio recognition to identify what you are watching.īut what do the Smart TV manufacturers stand to gain? They receive payment to include this kind of software, according to NYT.Īnd what do users stand to gain? It is hard to spot any advantages here but at least we can tell you how to turn off Smart TV tracking.Yes, your smart TV is watching you, in the sense that it collects data about what you watch. #Samba interactive tv wont stop showimg up how to# Smart TV surveillance uses automatic content recognition (ACR) to gather data about your viewing habits. Where is the hidden camera in Samsung TV? Your smart TV may also have a smart TV camera and microphone to help with data collection. The cameras that are built into the TVs are located towards the top center of the screen. How do you tell if your TV has a hidden camera? The majority of Samsung Smart TVs are equipped with two microphones, one of which is located at the bottom of the screen and the other on the remote. If your smart TV has facial recognition or video chat features, chances are it has a camera. How do you use the camera on a Samsung TV? If it does, you should be able to find the lens if you look closely at the edges of the screen.
