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LG says it’s nothing personal as it hits back over spying claim

TV manufacturer LG admitted that it collected data about viewing habits from users of its Smart TVs but added no personal details were ever gathered by the devices.

The firm apologised and told Recombu that it would put out an update to put a stop to unwanted data collection.

As reported by Recombu, the issue was discovered by Hull-based IT consultant Jason Huntley and was detailed in his blog. He told the BBC that he hoped that LG would in future “ keep customers clearly informed as to their data collection practices before they take place.”

Read Recombu Digital’s guide to LG Smart TVsSince the news broke, LG has launched an investigation into problem.

“Information such as channel, TV platform, broadcast source, etc. that is collected by certain LG Smart TVs is not personal but viewing information,” LG said in a statement. “This information is collected as part of the Smart TV platform to deliver more relevant advertisements and to offer recommendations to viewers based on what other LG Smart TV owners are watching.”

“We have verified that even when this function is turned off by the viewers, it continues to transmit viewing information although the data is not retained by the server.”

The firm added that a firmware update is being prepared for immediate rollout that will correct this problem on all affected LG Smart TVs. LG said when this feature is disabled, no data will be transmitted but to the company.

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