Consumer Reports: Is your TV spying on you?

NEW YORK (WABC) -- When you sit down to watch television, you probably don't imagine that your TV is also watching you. But Consumer Reports says that new models of some popular brands of smart TVs can record and share information about everything you watch.

It's likely you don't think you've invited a spy into your home when setting up a new TV. But there is at least one Samsung television that can record and share everything that's viewed, whether it's a broadcast or streaming from the internet. And some smart TVs can even track what DVD you're watching.

"Your viewing habits are valuable information for marketers who might want to use that to recommend new shows, offer extra content on shows you're already watching or serve up customized advertising," Consumer Reports electronics editor Glenn Derene said.

The ads are primarily pop-ups like the ones you see on your computer, and you may not realize that you allowed this data collection when you agreed to the lengthy privacy policy during setup.

There are 47 screens of text with Samsung, while LG and Vizio also ask you to sign away your privacy in thousands of words in fine print.

When people find out what they're asked to agree to, many are upset.

"I think it is a modern day Peeping Tom," one person said.

When Consumer Reports emailed the manufacturers to ask how they are using the technology, spokespeople for Samsung and Vizio didn't comment. An LG spokesperson said it isn't using any data to serve personalized ads and has no current plans to do so.

But Consumer Reports says that could change at any time.

"You might think, well why don't I just turn these marketing features off?" Derene said. "Well, it's not always so easy. To do so, you have to fight your way through menu settings."

For the LG sets, go to settings, then options, then "Live Plus," click "Off," then close. With Vizio, it's a voyage through three menus to turn off the box "Smart Interactivity." With Samsung, a similar trip to find the box "SyncPlus and Marketing" and disable it.

Consumer Reports says that disabling the marketing feature may cause you to lose offers of extra scenes or commentary related to the shows you're watching. But that may be a small price to pay for knowing that what you're watching remains private.

For more detailed advice on how to stop your smart TV from tracking you, visit http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/02/samsung-lg-vizio-smart-tvs-watch-everything-you-watch/index.htm