When the TV said, “We saw that,” I paused
Last Saturday night, I was watching a game at home in Hangzhou when the TV suddenly served an ad for a nearby shopping mall. I dismissed it, and it recommended another store. My first reaction wasn’t annoyance about ads—it was: “Has this TV been listening to me the whole time?”
I’ve been stuck there too. I assumed turning off the microphone would solve everything, only to find the relevant system settings and privacy policies buried under several layers of menus.
That made me think about what we do as independent creators or client freelancers: the smarter and more convenient our devices become, the more easily they quietly collect viewing habits, voice data, and information about the environment around us. The issue isn’t whether smart TVs are good or bad. It’s whether we know what they’re collecting.
17 questions, one privacy checklist
The Verge sent TV manufacturers the same 17 questions, focusing on whether they explain what data they collect, how ads are linked, whether humans review voice recordings, how to delete data, and whether system updates can change privacy settings. The incomplete answers were arguably more useful than a polished privacy page.
My friend Chen Lin runs a three-person studio in Chengdu. She creates procurement checklists for content studios and turned those questions into a vendor checklist of her own: what the device collects, who receives the data, and whether users can delete it and disable collection. If a device doesn’t provide clear answers, she doesn’t include it in a recommendation.
Reproduction cost: $0, about 40 minutes, almost no technical barrier
I didn’t need to buy a new TV or hire a security engineer. The financial cost was $0; the time cost was about 40 minutes; and the technical barrier was simply being able to open the TV’s “Settings” and “Privacy” menus. First step: open the brand’s official product support page and search for “Privacy Policy,” “Ad Settings,” or “Voice Control.”
Then I checked the same questions: Does it collect what I watch? Is voice data used? Is that data used for advertising? Who can access it? How long is it retained? If the website isn’t clear, I looked for the relevant switches in system settings. Menu locations differ by brand, so if search doesn’t work, I can also enter “brand name + privacy settings” in a search engine.
I used to think “Turn off personalized ads” was the whole answer. Later, I realized that watch history, wake-word detection, and account linking may each have their own controls. This isn’t about learning technical skills; it’s about breaking vague anxiety into a few questions we can actually answer.
Based on where I am now, should I keep checking?
If I’m just getting started and mainly use the TV for shows, I’d spend 20 minutes turning off unused voice wake words and personalized recommendations—no device upgrade needed. If I have one or two clients and the TV at home also handles client meetings or demos, I’d turn the 17 questions into a checklist and run through it before every client presentation. If I’m scaling and working across cities, I’d also check whether the TV is signed into a public network and have the team record device permissions and sign-out procedures consistently.
This tool isn’t for everyone. If I never use a voice assistant and don’t care about TV ads, skipping the check today is fine. For me, the safest approach is to ask clear questions first, then decide whether to replace the device, change its settings, or keep using it.