Following rumors that Samsung TVs recorded users' conversations, Samsung has released a statement saying that its TVs do not spy on living room conversations.
In case you're worried that your TV is still listening to you, there are a number of things that you can do to put your mind at ease.
"Some Samsung Smart TVs offer voice recognitions functions," said Samsung in a statement. "These functions are enabled only when users agree to the separate Samsung Privacy Policy and Terms of Use regarding this function when initially setting up the TV. Apart from initial setup, users are given the choice to activate or deactivate the voice recognition feature at any time."
There are two microphones used in Samsung TVs that enable voice recognition. The first is a microphone that is embedded directly in the TV. This microphone responds directly to TV commands such as to change the channel or to increase volume.
The second microphone lives inside the TVs remote control, and this is the microphone that some are worried about. That's because the remote has the ability to send information about what is being said to a server in order to analyze it.
In reality, the controversy surrounding Samsung TVs is overblown. How else would a system be able to analyze voice commands but to send it to a server? This is the same thing being offered by many companies in their smartphones and other voice-controlled devices. The problem that some might have is the fact that the information and voice data being captured is being sent to a third party, which is the company that turns voice into text so that users can control their devices.
Still concerned? Well, in that case there is a setting that can be changed to turn voice controls off. It's important to note that only a handful of TVs have this issue - the ones that have microphones in both the TV and the remote, such as the Samsung PN60F8500.
To switch off the feature, simply head to "settings" and select "smart features." Then scroll down to "voice recognition" and change it to "off." Users will no longer be able to use the "Hi TV" voice recognition feature, which essentially means that the microphone is always listening for order. Users can, however, input voice controls by pressing the microphone button on their remotes.
Another way to disable the feature is to simply turn off Wi-Fi on the TV. This will somewhat defeat the purpose of owning a smart TV rather than a normal one, but it will ensure that users' minds are at ease when it comes to privacy.
