Concerns are rising over smart televisions spying on users without consent, leveraging Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology to track viewing habits. This issue has led to a significant lawsuit in the United States, with potential implications for privacy protections globally.

• ACR technology captures rapid visual or audio 'fingerprints' of content every 500 milliseconds, identifying what users watch.
• The collected data, including preferred programs, movies, and streaming services, is allegedly sold to third-party advertisement firms for targeted advertising.
• A lawsuit filed in Texas against five major TV companies accuses them of infringing privacy by collecting data without permission, with the prosecution deeming the conduct "invasive, deceptive, and unlawful."