Your Telly's Got a Big Mouth: The 2026 Smart TV Privacy Tune-Up

Smart TVs have quietly become the nosiest gadgets in the house. That shiny 55-inch set in the corner isn't just showing you MasterChef; it's logging what you watch, when you watch it, and — on some models — what's on the screen behind the programme. In 2026, the privacy settings are better than they were a few years back, but the defaults are still geared towards data collection. Here's how to claw some back without turning your telly into a dumb panel.

What Your Telly Is Actually Collecting

Let's not be melodramatic. Your TV isn't watching you through the webcam — most don't have one. But it is hoovering up three main types of data.

First, viewing data: which apps you open, what you watch, how long for, and when you bail. Second, device identifiers: an advertising ID that lets apps and ad networks recognise your set across sessions. Third, and most misunderstood, automated content recognition (ACR). This is the clever bit that takes screenshots of what's on screen — sometimes every few seconds — to work out what you're watching, even on live telly or a HDMI input. It's how TVs serve "relevant" ads and build a profile of your household.

On top of that, voice assistants are listening for wake words, and apps like iPlayer, ITVX and Netflix have their own accounts, profiles and tracking. Your telly is one part of the chain, not the whole story.

The Worst Defaults (and Where to Find Them)

Manufacturers don't hide this stuff maliciously, but they do bury it. Here are the settings worth changing on the main UK TV platforms.

Samsung Tizen

Head to Settings > All Settings > Privacy & Terms. You'll see a list of consents. The big one is Viewing Information Services — that's ACR. Turn it off unless you genuinely want personalised ads based on what's on screen. Also check Interest-Based Advertising and Voice Recognition Services. Samsung's menus vary by model year, but the wording is consistent.

LG webOS

Go to Settings > All Settings > General > Privacy & Terms. Look for Live Plus — LG's ACR feature. It's often on by default. Turn it off. Then review Advertising and Voice Information settings. LG has improved its consent screens recently, but the toggles still sit several menus deep.

Fire TV

Amazon's platform is the most aggressive on ads. Go to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings. Turn off Device Usage Data, Collect App Usage Data, and Interest-Based Ads. Then check Settings > Preferences > Advertising ID and reset or disable it. Fire TV also lets you opt out of some ad targeting at the account level on Amazon's website — worth doing.

Google TV

Open Settings > Privacy > Usage & Diagnostics and switch it off. Then go to Settings > Privacy > Ads and delete/reset your advertising ID. Google TV's personalised recommendations rely on watch history, so you may want to keep that on for a usable home screen — more on that below.

Roku

Roku has a single Settings > Privacy menu. Turn off Advertising and Smart TV Experience (which uses ACR for recommendations). Simpler than most.

What UK Law Actually Protects

The UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 give you rights: access, deletion, objection. The ICO can fine companies that misuse data. But here's the rub — most smart TV data collection is legal because you "consented" when you clicked through the setup screen without reading it.

The rules do require consent for non-essential tracking, including advertising cookies and ACR in many cases. The PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) covers cookies and similar tech. But enforcement is reactive and slow. In practice, the burden is on you to opt out. The law gives you a stick, but you have to pick it up.

What the law doesn't do is force manufacturers to make the privacy-friendly option the default. So don't expect regulators to fix this for you.

What's Worth Keeping On

Total lockdown makes your TV worse. Personalised recommendations — the "because you watched" rows — need some watch history. If you switch everything off, you'll get generic grids and more scrolling.

My rule: keep watch history for the apps you actually use (Netflix, iPlayer, All 4), but turn off ACR, ad IDs and voice listening unless you actively use voice search. That's the sweet spot. You still get decent suggestions without building a detailed profile for advertisers.

Streaming Apps Are Their Own Problem

Your TV settings don't cover the apps. iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and My5 all have their own privacy dashboards, usually in account settings. Check them. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have ad-supported tiers now — those tiers collect more data and are harder to opt out of. If you're on a cheaper ad tier, accept that the trade-off is more tracking. That's the deal.

The 20-Minute Tune-Up

Do this once, then diarise it annually. Go through each platform's privacy menu, turn off ACR and ad IDs, disable voice if unused, and review app-level settings. On your router, you can block known tracking domains — a Pi-hole or similar DNS filter catches some of the background chatter, but it won't stop everything and can break apps. Don't overcomplicate it.

The Reviewr Verdict

Your smart TV is a data-collection device that happens to show telly. That's not scaremongering; it's the business model. The good news is that the controls exist and they work. Twenty minutes of menu-diving gets you most of the way there.

Is it perfect? No. Will you ever be fully invisible? Also no. But you can stop the worst of the snitching without turning your living room into a surveillance bunker. And that's a win worth taking.

Rating: 7/10 — the settings are there, but you shouldn't have to hunt this hard for them.