After a viral investigation accused its smart TVs of watching more than you watch on them, LG did not stay quiet. It issued a formal statement pushing back. Here is precisely what that statement says, claim by claim, and where it stops short of settling the argument.
When researchers published network captures and audio claims about LG smart TVs, the story moved fast, and so did LG. The company put out a statement denying the most alarming allegations and clarifying what its TVs do and do not do. Reading it carefully is worth the effort, because LG confirms some things, flatly denies others, and leaves a couple of questions open to interpretation.
In Brief
LG’s statement denies that its smart TVs continuously record or transmit users’ conversations. It says wake-word detection runs locally, unrecognized audio is discarded immediately, and speech-to-text only starts after a user triggers it. LG confirms its TVs scan the local network but describes that as device discovery for compatibility, not profiling or ad targeting. It also says its content-recognition feature is optional and off by default. What the statement does not fully resolve is the gap between LG’s assurances and the researchers’ demonstrations, which is why the debate continues. For the full breakdown of what is proven versus alleged, see our explainer on the LG smart TV privacy claims.
Why LG Responded
The statement did not appear in a vacuum. It followed a detailed investigation by a testing outlet, which used network-capture tools on a retail LG OLED and made claims about network scanning and standby audio. That investigation spread quickly, and LG’s response was aimed squarely at the surveillance narrative it created.
LG’s Point-by-Point Response
Here is how LG’s statement lines up against the main claims. The left column is what was alleged; the right is LG’s position, in its own framing.
| The claim | LG’s response |
|---|---|
| TVs record conversations while the screen is off | LG says its TVs “do not continuously record or transmit users’ conversations” |
| Captured audio is uploaded to LG’s ad systems | LG says unrecognized audio is discarded immediately and speech-to-text starts only after a wake word or the remote’s voice button |
| The TV scans your local network | LG confirms device discovery, and says it is “not used for household profiling, cross-device targeting, or advertising segmentation” |
| Content tracking runs by default | LG says its automatic content recognition stores no recordings or screenshots and is optional and off by default |
What LG Confirms, and What It Denies
The most important thing the statement does is separate the admitted from the denied. LG does not dispute that its TVs discover devices on your network; it confirms that, while insisting the purpose is compatibility rather than profiling. What LG denies, firmly, is the surveillance framing: that the TV listens to and exfiltrates your conversations. As Engadget noted in covering the response, the company’s core message is that microphone use is wake-word gated, not always on.
What the Statement Doesn’t Fully Settle
Here is the honest limit. A corporate statement is a position, not an audit. LG’s assurances directly contradict some of the researchers’ demonstrations, and a denial does not, by itself, resolve a technical dispute about what a specific device did in a specific test. Independent verification, rather than either side’s framing, is what would actually close the gap, and that has not happened yet. So the fair reading is that LG has clearly stated its position, the researchers have clearly stated theirs, and the contested audio claims remain contested. The full statement is on LG’s newsroom.
What Owners Should Take From It
Whatever you make of the dispute, the statement changes little about what you can control. The tracking features that are clearly real, like automatic content recognition, can still be switched off in settings, and doing so does not require taking a side. If the back-and-forth bothers you, turning off content recognition, clearing your viewing data, and limiting ad tracking are reasonable steps regardless of who is right about the audio. For more on connected-device privacy, browse Visboo’s Technology section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did LG say in response to the privacy claims?
LG issued a statement denying that its smart TVs continuously record or transmit conversations. It said wake-word detection runs locally, unrecognized audio is discarded immediately, and speech-to-text starts only after a user triggers it, while confirming that its TVs scan the network for device compatibility.
Did LG admit its TVs scan the network?
Yes, but with a qualification. LG confirmed that its TVs perform device discovery on the local network, and stated that this is to recognize compatible devices, not to build household profiles or target ads.
Does LG’s statement prove the TVs are not recording?
No. A statement reflects LG’s position, not an independent audit. It denies the recording claims, but it does not by itself resolve the technical dispute, which would require independent verification that has not yet occurred.
Is automatic content recognition still active?
LG says its content recognition feature is optional and off by default, and that it stores no voice recordings or screenshots. Owners can turn it off in the TV’s settings if it is enabled.
Should I still change my TV’s privacy settings?
It is reasonable to. Regardless of the audio dispute, you can turn off content recognition, delete viewing data, and limit ad tracking. Those steps address the data collection you can control, whatever the outcome of the debate.
What This Means
LG’s statement does its job as a denial: it is clear, specific, and confirms the network scanning while rejecting the surveillance framing. What it cannot do is end a technical argument by assertion. Until independent testing weighs in, treat both the alarming claims and the firm denial as positions, not verdicts, and in the meantime, adjust the settings you actually control rather than waiting for the dispute to resolve.