This is because as soon as a monitor is connected to a Windows computer, it automatically installs both the LG Monitor App Installer and McAfee Scam Detector without ever asking the user for permission.

Is this not a felony under U.S. law? Computer hacking has HUGE criminal liability.

Bought a LG TV and a Monitor three years ago. Last time I will do that. Really happy about my decision not to let the TV have access to the internet.

Not only that but my old LG smart TV (47LM8600, I think manufactured in 2012) has literal suicide timers in its built in apps. Mine has never been connected to any network and yet it mysteriously informed me after approximately three years of ownership that all of its player apps such as Youtube, Hulu, Netflix, etc. would stop working because they were "no longer supported," all of them within the time frame of the same couple of weeks. It knew this somehow, apparently via magic, or quantum fluctuations, or psychic brain waves. Without internet connectivity.

Obviously I don't use any of those features so I didn't give a rat's ass and I still don't. But I still find that deeply suspicious.

I've used an LG monitor for about 5 years, and never install the manufacturer's software unless it looks genuinely useful. When I saw the Gamers Nexus video I went to check my installed apps, and sure enough there was LG's monitor app, installed silently without my knowledge. I used Bulk Crap Uninstaller to get rid of it.

To prevent this kind of thing in future, run gpedit.msc and enable “Prevent automatic download of applications associated with device metadata” under Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Device Installation.

I have an LG TV that has never been exposed to the internet and it's amazing.

My wife and I bought a TV on the internet. What brand? I have no idea but it's the type they have in waiting rooms and restaurants. Zero internet. Zero apps. You push the button and it turns on. It's the best fucking purchase we've made in the last five years.

This is 100% also Microsoft fault and they are to be held accountable for this. With many drivers it can happen that one manufacturer goes rogue, but Microsoft needs to have a zero tolerance policy for this: do it once and your signature is permanently revoked for all your drivers

LG clearly stands for "Literal Garbage". The DisplayPort and HDMI ports on the gaming monitor I bought a few years ago failed approximately 6 months in.

I wish we would stop using smart to describe surveillance technology. Smart sounds nicez but there's nothing smart about it...

LG is on my permanent vendor shitlist for related reasons.

And you think the other manufacturers are different?

Only solution is NO NETWORK. Use as a simple TV. I have 2 fairly new LGs and none are network connected. They work perfectly that way. I learnt the lesson with my 15y old Samsung SmartTV, one of the first to the market, and it wanted to use a Samsung account for almost everything, even to use the Youtube client. Nope.

All of this is true but I really hate the headline. Headlines for this SHOULD SAY "Microsoft's Windows update feature is distributing adware."

Lol, "monitor" app, because it monitors users.

Straight to the list of things "I will never buy in my life".

Does anyone make dumb TVs anymore? Seems like there's a sizable market for it. I haven't had a TV in 6 years and want one for local channels, but I really don't want a smart TV.

For the PC Monitor issue: To prevent this sort of behavior. Open Group Policy Editor Computer Configuration>Administrative Templates>System>Device Installation Prevent automatic downloads of applications associated with device metadata = Set to Enable.

To get rid of it once installed you have to remove it from the Windows Store since it's an app, not an installed program. For me, this was not possible as there was no way presented to uninstall it in the app store. I had to do it from terminal with this command, which could vary a bit depending on the exact app version:

Remove-AppxPackage LGElectronics.LGMonitorApp_1.2606.1601.0_x86__cfnzzhwkr8z5w

As much as I'd like a bigger TV with OLED, I'll be sticking with my old Toshiba dumb TV. It's good enough and doesn't even know the internet exists.

I have an LG smart tv that I've had for a few years now. It is easily the worst TV I've ever bought. The interface sucks, the remote sucks, it doesn't have the Dropout app, it is bright as the sun when the screen is on in the dark even with adaptive brightness on, slow to register button presses and load apps, etc. Even if it weren't a privacy nightmare, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I’ve had a “smart” TV for about 4 years. It keeps asking to update the firmware.

No. Effin’. Way.

It’s just going to install more and more spyware, bloatware, and find a way to charge me for something I didn’t have to pay for before.