Vizio TVs spy on you, here's how to disable it
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Vizio TVs spy on you, here’s how to disable it
Vizio’s technology works by analyzing snippets of the shows you’re watching, whether on traditional television or streaming Internet services such as Netflix. Vizio determines the date, time, channel of programs — as well as whether you watched them live or recorded. The viewing patterns are then connected your IP address - the Internet address that can be used to identify every device in a home, from your TV to a phone.
This is a damn good reason not to buy a Vizio TV. I won’t rant about opt-out/opt-in again. But I found Vizio generally had a good price-to-quality ratio: not top shelf hardware, but not top shelf prices, either. So this shadiness is a shame.
A shamey-ness?
Anyway, props to Samsung and LG, who, according to Julia Angwin at ProPublica, require user consent before enabling the sort of tracking Vizio turns on by default.
Disable Vizio "Smart Interactivity"
Vizio obviously knows how shady its default spying is because they have a page named after the feature which begins with information on how to turn it off:
VIA TV Interface
- Press the MENU button on your TV's remote.
- Select Settings.
- Highlight Smart Interactivity.
- Press RIGHT arrow to change setting to Off.
VIA Plus TV Interface
- Press the MENU button on your TV's remote or open HDTV Settings app.
- Select System.
- Select Reset & Admin.
- Highlight Smart Interactivity.
- Press RIGHT arrow to change setting to Off.