An investigation by Gamers Nexus found LG smart TVs sweep local networks to map phones and nearby devices. Tests also showed the sets can capture microphone audio with the screen off — they then upload data once reconnected to the internet.

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[–] 27 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Recording without consent is very much a crime in any two-party state, but my guess is that the TOS that people click past to use the TV gives them permission to record you. If it didn't, they would be in big legal hot water.

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  • [–] 42 points 1 day ago (1 child)

    Clicking through ToS does not magically make illegal things legal.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

    Consenting to recording makes recording legal.

    Making that consent required to use the TV or its features and it being buried within lengthy, opaque terms of service in a country with a low level of literacy should be illegal, but it stands in the US because it's a consumer hostile country.

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  • [–] 21 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

    A TOS presented after an electronic device has been sold is not valid in most of the World since it's considered an attempt to, after the sale, force a change of the terms of the implicit contract which is the sale.

    A company can shove whatever they want in front of the customer as contract conditions they have to accept for a sale before the sale - by which point the potential customer can refuse and not buy or accept and buy - not after.

    Of course, they don't do that because they would lose most sales, so instead there's a TOS or EULA which the owners of the devices are forced to agree to after the sale to fully enjoy that which they bought, but these are really just legal fictions in most countries.

    Mind you, this does not apply to a subscription to an ongoing service, though even then at least in Europe, there are conditions they much obbey to have the customer accept a TOS or a TOS change after subscribing, such as it being possible for the customer to cancel the service at no cost rather than accept the new TOS.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 day ago (1 child)

    "In any two-party state" what? That's such a weird thing to say. Two-party systems are a worse version of applied democracy, that should be incredibly obvious. I just seriously don't understand why you would even think about saying that it's a crime in two-party states only, it's so odd. If anything two-party states are more akin to not having strong laws against that because of the very fact of it. Look at the US, which I'm guessing is a big part of your mind in this. Do yourself a favor and search for countries two-party systems and their laws on this compared to actual democracies with more parties.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 day ago

    Call recording laws in some U.S. states require only one party to be aware of the recording, while other states generally require both parties to be aware. Several states require that all parties consent when one party wants to record a telephone conversation.

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