#tracking

A security researcher who posts on X as log4j says he got root access to his 2025 Samsung TV after noticing oddly specific ads, then live-posted what he found in its Tizen software. According to Tom's Hardware and Decrypt, a policy file lists functions such as an always-on microphone, automatic content recognition (identifying what is on screen), location, network mapping, a targeted-ads service and user profiling, and he describes on-device AI models that categorize audio and screenshots. He says TVs without a microphone look for one on connected soundbars or Bluetooth devices.

The claims are his own and not independently confirmed. A Hugging Face engineer who tested an already-rooted Tizen TV saw the microphone open for five seconds and then stop; an X community note points out that Samsung advertises some sound-listening features, such as pet and baby alerts. Experts told Decrypt that this kind of collection is usually written into privacy policies and that AI-assisted reverse engineering will surface more of it. The researcher also says OpenAI banned his account for "cyber abuse," which he disputes.