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I don’t understand why smart TVs are not jailbroken yet.. or at least have alternative OS options which support most varieties.
I don’t see a need to jailbreak them. Just don’t let the TV anywhere near network credentials. Plug an Apple TV into it and be done. I mean, unless you really, really want to see what kind of hot garbage passes for a UI on those TVs.
Jailbreak my TV? I’d rather keep it in Alcatraz (aka air gapped).
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Advertising is a virus that will infect all ecosystems.
As a reminder for our viewers at home: AppleTV + never-ever-connect-TV-to-network. We bought one of these LG OLEDs a month or two ago. It has never seen a network, and it has never complained about that. HDMI CEC means never having to see the TV’s home screen, let alone an advertisement.
How long before they tap into the ethernet from the streaming box? Ethernet over hdmi: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#HEC

Or tap in to a wireless network that some other device has created without your knowledge?

> Amazon Echo devices have Sidewalk enabled by default and do not inform their owner about it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Sidewalk

How long before a frog grows wings and quits bumping its ass when it hops? Dunno, I’ll cross that bridge when it is built, as I'm dealing with TVs as they are built today.

But, yeah, someone always brings up Ethernet-over-HDMI. Show me one, just one implementation, one report of a found implementation, something that demonstrates that anyone even remembers that HEC exists, and…nah, I’ll still dismiss the idea. You think an Apple TV is going to let some random device hijack its network connection, or use it as a passthrough for $DEITY knows what?

Well a flying frog exists: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_frog so maybe soon?

To be clear, I wasn’t criticising your approach, but the companies are so greedy for your data that I fear they will resort to these methods.

Well a flying frog exists: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_frog so maybe soon?

Looks like the little guy could use those paws to slow his hopping descent; I'll allow it. Now to go line the TV room with metallic wallpaper, and to come up with a different folksy colloquialism.

As for the greedy companies, if there's anything practical I'd be concerned about, it would be cell modems. But at the end of the day, there's a high enough percentage of people who just happily hand over WiFi passwords that I'm not concerned about companies going to the expense to scrape up that last 0.5% of users who say "hell, no" when prompted for a credentials.

Isn't this stealing resources from the owner without their permission?

Just like the person that sued a company for sending them unsolicited facsimile, claiming they used his electricity and paper without permission - thereby stealing a resources and wasting them.

This is where the "opt-out" idea flipped to "opt-in" in the UK and elsewhere.

Although, if you've blindly opted-in then more fool you - but surely this behavior is an obvious "opt-in" not an "opt-out" scenario.