Is My TV Spying On Me?

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OLED · webOS 5.0

LG CX (2020)

Sizes: 48, 55, 65, 77″

Records audio while the screen is off

No TV mic

This model has no built-in far-field microphone — voice control goes through the remote, and the "records audio with the screen off" claim describes a TV-side mic this model doesn't have.

No built-in far-field microphone on this model — voice control relies entirely on the Magic Remote's built-in mic, which is push-to-talk (hold a button to talk) rather than always-listening. The GX and up in the same 2020 lineup do have a far-field mic; the CX and BX do not.

Source ↗

ACR fingerprints everything on screen, including HDMI

Runs ACR

This model runs LG's ACR feature (branded "Live Plus"), which analyzes on-screen content — including over HDMI — to identify what's playing.

See the settings-path note for this model: the exact menu location is disputed between two sources.

Source ↗

Continuously scans your local network

Scans LAN

Like essentially all webOS sets, this model scans the local network for other devices. There is no settings toggle for this — the reported mitigation is network-level (a guest VLAN, or disconnecting the TV from the internet and using an external streaming device instead).

A guest VLAN alone might not be enough — see what actually works →

Reported by Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs (2026) as webOS-level network scanning with no per-model settings toggle. Their audio-recording finding was on newer OLED units that have a built-in microphone (the CX does not, see above) — this row is specifically about network scanning, which they describe as platform-wide behavior rather than tied to a particular model's hardware.

Source ↗

Security vulnerabilities in webOS

Unsupported

This model is no longer receiving platform-version updates (last known update: 2023).

Last known meaningful update was the 2023 full-screen webOS interface refresh. 2020 models were confirmed excluded from the subsequent webOS 24 and webOS 25 platform-version rollouts (LG's 'Re:New' program), which only reached 2021+ sets. This is about platform-version updates, not proof that zero security patches have ever shipped since.

Source ↗

Settings paths for webOS 5.0

ACR (Live Plus)
Settings → All Settings → General → System → Additional Settings → Live Plus

This project's own firsthand testing against a physical 2020 CX found Live Plus directly under General; this published source places it under General → System → Additional Settings instead. 2020 OLED sets got a 'full-screen webOS' interface update (~2023) that reorganized menus, which likely explains the mismatch — if this path doesn't match what you see, check both locations, and re-check after any firmware update.

Privacy agreements
Settings → All Settings → General → About This TV → User Agreements

Look for Viewing Information, Voice Information, and Interest-Based Advertisement specifically — leave the basic Terms of Use alone. Agreements can be silently reset by a firmware update; re-check after updates.

Ad tracking
Settings → All Settings → General → Additional Settings → Advertisement

Agreements and toggles can be silently reset by a firmware update — worth re-checking after your TV updates itself.

This page answers the specific claims in the LG TV privacy story circulating in the news. See About & sourcing for how each row above is checked, and how to report an error.