Samsung's Smart TVs automatically track what you watch — including channels, shows, and ads — using ACR technology, and use this data to serve you targeted advertising. You can turn this off in your TV's settings.
This analysis describes what Samsung's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
The provision establishes a data collection and use framework that enables Samsung to generate behavioral insights from television viewing patterns for commercial purposes. The inclusion of an opt-out mechanism creates a consent structure dependent on user action rather than default non-collection.
Samsung passively collects your TV viewing history including specific programs and advertisements watched, and uses this to build an advertising profile — this occurs by default unless you navigate to your TV's settings and disable Viewing Information Services.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) for Smart TV Viewing Data and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →Monitoring
Samsung has changed this document before.
Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 25 platforms.
"Viewing Information: If you use a Samsung Smart TV, we collect information about the video content you view on the TV, such as the channels, programs, and advertisements you watch, through a technology called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). We use this information to recommend content and to provide targeted advertising. You can opt out of ACR data collection by disabling 'Viewing Information Services' in your TV settings.— Excerpt from Samsung's Samsung Privacy Policy
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates the FTC Act Section 5 (15 U.S.C. §45) prohibiting unfair or deceptive trade practices, and is directly analogous to the FTC's 2017 consent decree against Vizio Inc. (No. 172-3068) for similar ACR practices. California's CPRA (Cal. Civ. Code §1798.121) classifies precise viewing data linked to a household as potentially sensitive personal information requiring heightened protection. The Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA, 18 U.S.C. §2710) may apply if Samsung is deemed a 'video tape service provider' sharing personally identifiable viewing information with third parties.
Full compliance analysis
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Monitor: 25 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.
Compliance Governance Intelligence
Need to monitor specific governance provisions?
Compliance includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.
Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.
The provision establishes a data collection and use framework that enables Samsung to generate behavioral insights from television viewing patterns for commercial purposes. The inclusion of an opt-out mechanism creates a consent structure dependent on user action rather than default non-collection.
Samsung passively collects your TV viewing history including specific programs and advertisements watched, and uses this to build an advertising profile — this occurs by default unless you navigate to your TV's settings and disable Viewing Information Services.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Samsung.