I changed the WiFi password as never told my Samsung the new one. I expect this will work for a year or two until they figure out how to force their way onto the network.
I took out the Wi-Fi module before I ever powered up the TV. I don't want to have to trust that a guest won't try to connect to their own hotspot to watch their Netflix on my TV.
Unfortunately most just don't care, and a truly dumb tv will have to be so expensive no-one will want to buy it.
People tend to really underestimate the value of their personal information, so they don't really realize how much their modern tech is subsidized by personal information.
The thing I don't get is, smart TVs suck to use regardless of the privacy issues, so why isn't there competition to at least make them good? It's gotten to the point where just turning it on and switching to HDMI 1 is sometimes difficult even for people who understand tech. Samsung TVs are the worst about this despite not being the cheapest tier.
Just connect your TV to WiFi then block it at your router/wifi AP.
Though at some point they'll just start using random MAC addresses Then you have to ensure that you block all external access for stuff that didn't get an IP from your DHCP server. Which probably won't work with IPv6 because it could just assign itself an IP and go.
How would you block a random device on IPv6 that's generating its own IP?
> How would you block a random device on IPv6 that's generating its own IP?
If you’re referring to your TV presenting itself as a random device with a random address, you give it the WiFi info to an AP that you control which has no network connectivity at all, via vlan separation, routing rules, or just by the physical AP not being connected to any other network.
I have UniFi stuff and I created another AP on those which can’t talk to anything, and is unencrypted, and if my tv wants to use an insecure WiFi network it can try to use that one and fail because there’s no internet connectivity. I should just remove the WiFi module or antenna.
I have an open WiFi network provisioned which can’t reach the internet or even outside its own VLAN. Some tvs will automatically connect to open APs and use them, so I made my own which has the strongest signal of any of them.
Otherwise, TVs in my house do not get the WiFi SSID or password. I also don’t plug in Ethernet unless I need to do a firmware update, which I did one time.
AppleTV connected and am happy.
If TVs won’t come in dumb form, I’ll separate them from their remote brains and make them dumb.
17 comments
[ 9.7 ms ] story [ 37.8 ms ] threadInstructions given from the twitter thread but are probably slop:
Samsung:
Menu → Settings → All Settings → General & Privacy → Terms & Privacy → Turn off "Viewing Information Services"
LG:
Settings → General → System → Additional Settings → Turn off "Live Plus"
Settings → Support → Privacy & Terms → User Agreements → Turn off "Viewing Information"
Roku TVs (TCL, Hisense, Philips, Insignia, Onn, Sharp, and others):
Settings → Privacy → Smart TV Experience → Turn off "Use Info from TV Inputs"
Settings → Privacy → Advertising → Turn off "Personalize Ads"
Sony:
Settings → All Settings → Turn off "Samba Interactive TV"
Vizio:
Settings → All Settings → Admin & Privacy → Turn off "Viewing Data"
Amazon:
Settings → Preferences → Privacy Settings → Turn off "Device Usage Data", "Collect App and Over-the-Air Usage", "Interest-Based Ads"
People tend to really underestimate the value of their personal information, so they don't really realize how much their modern tech is subsidized by personal information.
It would be a shame if I had to have my own HDMI generator go back to switching inputs.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46294456
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/nov/smart-tv-tracking-raises...
https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.06203
Though at some point they'll just start using random MAC addresses Then you have to ensure that you block all external access for stuff that didn't get an IP from your DHCP server. Which probably won't work with IPv6 because it could just assign itself an IP and go.
How would you block a random device on IPv6 that's generating its own IP?
If you’re referring to your TV presenting itself as a random device with a random address, you give it the WiFi info to an AP that you control which has no network connectivity at all, via vlan separation, routing rules, or just by the physical AP not being connected to any other network.
I have UniFi stuff and I created another AP on those which can’t talk to anything, and is unencrypted, and if my tv wants to use an insecure WiFi network it can try to use that one and fail because there’s no internet connectivity. I should just remove the WiFi module or antenna.
Otherwise, TVs in my house do not get the WiFi SSID or password. I also don’t plug in Ethernet unless I need to do a firmware update, which I did one time.
AppleTV connected and am happy.
If TVs won’t come in dumb form, I’ll separate them from their remote brains and make them dumb.