Fiction again and again has warned us about the folly of giving inanimate objects a brain, the ability to feel or any other element of the human experience, a warning LG have clearly failed to heed by making a TV smarter than its viewers.
LG clearly have underestimated the reaction of TV watchers finding out that their TV can watch them right back when one of its customers realized his TV was watching him and taking notes of his viewing habits.
Jason Huntley, an IT Consultant and writer of doctorbeets blog, wrote a blog detailing how he managed to piece together that his TV was collecting data on him through getting his hands on a incriminating corporate video (now suspiciously "under maintenance") selling the effectiveness of their ads system in tracking the preferences of their customers
While LG may throw out the defense that they created a TV that could provide a better service if it could record the viewing patterns of users and suggest content they might like based on the data of previous viewings, they fail to realize people don't like being stalked on the internet by ads and spam bots so they definitely won't be pleased that an household appliance has been tracking their every move as soon as they push the on button.
No one is against household appliances getting better or smarter but it is particularly concerning when they exhibit behaviors of a stalker a little to eager to please. In an age where privacy is almost non-existent ( it's not all Google or Facebook's fault, check your multiple social media accounts for proof) you would think one reprieve would be watching TV where you can watch your favorite shows in peace but now with the onset of smart TV's that record every click of your remote, being a member of the most monitored human beings in the history of the species has literally hit home.
It's only going to get worse as the are going to drop in price and become available to more people exemplified by high street electronics retailer Currys cutting £300 off "selected Samsung Smart TV's". In sum, Smart TV's maybe the future of television but Jason Huntley's discovery is a consequence that maybe all too familiar in the coming years.
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