Last updated: February 27th, 2026 at 16:24 UTC+01:00
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It was previously sued over this.
Reading time: 3 minutes
Abhijeet Mishra / SamMobile
Samsung and other TV manufacturers were sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton based on allegations that these manufacturers were “spying” on Texas residents through their smart TVs.
The conflict was over the Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology that screenshots whatever's on the screen to serve better ads. Samsung had this feature enabled by default previously but it has now agreed to not use ACR unless users consent.
ACR captures screenshots when the TV is on about every 500 milliseconds. That information is then sent to the manufacturer's servers and those of its partners, even if the user hadn't agreed to it. A court in Texas had ordered Samsung to stop this temporarily while the case was underway. [Update:] Samsung have reached out to highlight that the court order was vacated a day after it was issued.
The state's attorney general has now announced that an agreement has been signed with Samsung Electronics to ensure that no ACR data is collected without users being fully informed and consenting to it.
This agreement also requires Samsung to immediately stop any collection or processing of ACR data without first obtaining explicit consent from users in Texas.
Samsung is required to update its smart TVs to show disclosures and consent screens that clearly educate users about ACR so that they can make an informed decision about consenting to its use.
Samsung is one of the first major TV manufacturers to ink this agreement, which has won it praise from the attorney general. Others including Sony, TCL, and LG, were sued as well but they've yet to come to a similar agreement.
[Update] Statement from Samsung Electronics America:
“Samsung shares the Texas Attorney General’s goal of promoting transparent and consumer-friendly privacy practices. We appreciate the opportunity to discuss our Viewing Information Services (VIS) in more detail, and make enhancements to further strengthen our privacy disclosures.
While we maintain our original television privacy policy and notices followed existing Texas state regulations, as a trusted brand, Samsung is proud to be at the forefront of protecting consumer privacy and security.
The settlement affirms what Samsung has said since this lawsuit was filed – Samsung TVs do not spy on consumers. In fact, Samsung allows you to control your privacy – and change your privacy settings at any time.
We hope our updated language will provide additional reassurance to our customers and serve as a new standard for others in the television industry.”
Adnan Farooqui is a long-term writer at SamMobile. Based in Pakistan, his interests include technology, finance, Swiss watches and Formula 1. His tendency to write long posts betrays his inclination to being a man of few words.
