Security researcher known as log4j claims to have found, in the software of Samsung's 2025 TVs, a set of data-collection features aimed at personalized advertising — including ambient audio classification, screen captures and cross-device tracking. The investigation, published in posts on X starting on October 21, 2026, was covered by Tom's Hardware on October 25 and by other outlets since. It is important to be clear from the start: these are claims from a single researcher, not yet independently verified on an unmodified TV, and Samsung has not publicly confirmed or denied the findings so far, according to the coverage consulted.
According to the account, it all began with ads that seemed too precisely targeted on the researcher's new TV. Because the firmware was encrypted, he used hardware techniques to gain root access to the Tizen system and examine the code. Among the items he says he found are: a service called "csapi-tv-service-alwaysonvoice"; telemetry counters labelled "EV201 SOUNDSENSOR_ON", which would classify sound events such as a dog barking and a baby crying; an automatic content recognition (ACR) system to identify what is on screen; a network packet logger called "rmdemon"; geolocation modules; and a cross-device advertising identifier called AID. He also cites a file called "security-policy.xml" with around 400 partner entities registered for data collection and sharing.
The most controversial point concerns TVs without their own microphone. According to the researcher, on those models the system would look for connected devices with a microphone — such as a soundbar or a Bluetooth accessory — to capture audio and forward the results to Bixby. A first independent test gave only partial support to this part: Hugging Face engineer ngxson, using a Flipper Zero, saw the microphone activate for five seconds and then stop, with no further recordings in the following hours — but his TV was already rooted with several settings disabled, so an unmodified set may behave differently.
There is also a counterpoint worth recording. Part of what was found matches features advertised by Samsung itself, such as SmartThings pet and baby monitoring, and commentators note that finding a documented capability in code is not the same as proving that data is sold or that every TV continuously records conversations. In other words: what is under debate is the scope and use of these systems, not an established fact about all sets.
One curious side story: the researcher says OpenAI banned his account for "cyber abuse" after he used the company's tools to support local reverse engineering — he denies using the tools to exploit vulnerabilities and says he lost about US$ 500 in remaining credit. OpenAI has not commented on the case, according to the coverage.
While there is no official response from Samsung and no independent audit, owners concerned about the issue can review the TV's settings: turn off "Viewing Information Services" and ad personalization, limit voice and SmartThings sensor permissions, or use the TV purely as a display connected to a separate streaming box, which reduces the smart platform's telemetry.
Sources: AlexTech — Samsung TV firmware collects audio and screenshots for ads, researcher says, TezzBuzz — Hacker Claims Samsung Smart TVs Collect Audio, Viewing Data for Targeted Ads, GigaGuideTech — Samsung TV AI Ad Tracking: What the Hacker Found, Lowyat.NET — Samsung Smart TV Reportedly Collects User Data For Targeted Ads and researcher log4j's original post on X.
Image credit: illustrative image: Samsung UE55F9000 TV with Sonos Playbar soundbar, photograph by Pittigrilli via Wikimedia Commons. The model in the photo is not the 2025 model analyzed by the researcher.
Transparency: this article was produced with the help of artificial intelligence, cross-checking public posts on X and internet sources. Consult the original sources to confirm the details.
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