Samsung Smart TVs use technology that recognizes and records what you are watching, including cable, satellite, and streaming content, and uses this to serve targeted ads.
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
ACR technology creates a detailed record of your television viewing habits, including content from third-party services, which Samsung may use for advertising purposes and share with partners.
Interpretive note: The specific opt-out mechanism for ACR on Samsung Smart TVs and the exact categories of third parties receiving viewing data are not fully detailed in the policy text provided.
The updated policy expands Samsung's data collection authority to include device registration, verification for repairs, and configuration of device settings. The terms now explicitly state that Samsung may collect card and transaction information if you apply for a Samsung-branded payment card. Samsung clarified that it will only send personalized marketing when you have provided consent, where required by law. The policy removed its previous statement that defective devices are wiped of personal information before analysis; the updated terms now state Samsung will analyze returned defective devices without that explicit pre-analysis data deletion commitment. For US residents, the policy now discloses rights to opt out of sale of personal information, sharing for cross-context behavioral advertising, targeted advertising processing, sensitive data collection or processing, and to request lists of third parties receiving your information.
View change record →If you own a Samsung Smart TV, the policy authorizes collection of your viewing history across all content sources using ACR, which may be shared with advertising partners to target you based on your TV-watching behavior.
How other platforms handle this
to request that your data be transferred to a third party (data portability)
Your organization may allow you to access and export your data in order to back it up or transfer it to a service outside of Google.
To stop us collecting your location information, you can update your device settings, stop using the Service, or uninstall our mobile apps.
"If you use a Samsung Smart TV, we may collect information about the content you watch, including video and audio content, information about your cable, satellite, or other service provider, and information about the ads you see on your TV. This information is collected using automatic content recognition (ACR) technology, which identifies content being displayed on your TV screen.Excerpt from Samsung's Privacy Policy
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: ACR-based data collection by smart TV manufacturers has been the subject of FTC scrutiny and enforcement, including the 2017 Vizio settlement, which established that collecting and sharing viewing data without adequate consent constitutes …
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
Ad personalization controls removed. Contact scanning added. Advertiser data partnerships quietly dropped. A timeline of every change.
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ACR technology creates a detailed record of your television viewing habits, including content from third-party services, which Samsung may use for advertising purposes and share with partners.
If you own a Samsung Smart TV, the policy authorizes collection of your viewing history across all content sources using ACR, which may be shared with advertising partners to target you based on your TV-watching behavior.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 290 platforms. See the full comparison.
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