Vizio’s Smart TVs have been found to track the viewing habits of their users
Vizio’s Smart TVs have been found to track the viewing habits of their users
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Vizio’s Smart TVs have been found to track the viewing habits of their users, with the company storing this data and selling it to 3rd parties.Â
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This was discovered by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), who stated that the sharing of such data with advertisers is an illegal act for TV manufacturers and have now issued an order to delete all data that was captured using this process. Now Vizio has also been charged with a $2.2 million fine to settle charges against the display manufacturer.Â
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At this time it is expected that the company has installed software on 11 million consumer TVs without the knowledge of customers or their consent. The data collected did not include personally identifiable information like name or contact details, though it did include the customer’s IP address, zip code and second-by-second viewing habits.Â
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   Vizio collected unique data from each household with a Vizio smart TV that included not only second-by-second viewing information, but also the household’s IP address, nearby access points, zip code, and other information.
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As part of the FTC’s settlement with Vizio will require the company to inform their users of their unauthorised tracking as well as tell consumers about how this data is collected and stores. The company has also been told to seek clearer and firmer consent before they collect any user data in the future.Â
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You can join the discussion on Vizio harvesting viewing habits of their smart tv users on the OC3D Forums. Â Â
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