cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/50166453

Most “Smart” TVs use Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), essentially taking snapshots every 10+ms of what you watch and hear, then forwarding & selling that data to companies for ads, etc. I now feel it’s only a matter of time before this “feature” finds its way to our ever “smarter” PC monitors.

LG with the help of Windows is already installing adware when the right Device ID is detected.

☑️ To disable ACR on TV: https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/home-entertainment/how-to-disable-acr-tv/

  • DocMcStuffin@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Obligatory: you can improve your Windows experience by installing Linux.

    Non snarky comment: you can disable driver craplets from auto-installing using group policy or the registry.

    run gpedit.msc
    Computer Configuration
    > Administrative Templates
      > System
        > Device Installation
    
    Prevent automatic download of applications associated with device metadata
    = Enabled
    

    That will set the following registry key:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Device Metadata]
    "PreventDeviceMetadataFromNetwork"=dword:00000001
    
    
    • undrwater@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      This is interesting, but the following is not intuitive in relation to displaying ads on a display device:

      Prevent automatic download of applications associated with device metadata

      It confuses me what people say Linux is hard.

    • Elvith Ma'for@feddit.org
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      1 month ago

      Most people will be on Win Home which usually locks you out of gpedit. Or ignores your settings there, some even from the registry. In the recent times there are even some GPOs locked for Pro and only available on an enterprise version or Windows server…

  • Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    We’ve connected with the team at LG and as an immediate next step, they have agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from their app. We appreciate LG working with us toward a shared goal of a better experience for our mutual customers. We will keep improving here with our ecosystem partners.

    Oh, so does that mean you’re also going to improve your own garbage, ad-laden start menu, Microsoft?

    I like how it wasn’t okay because it’s “Microsoft’s turf.” You know what’s coming next? An ad ecosystem that’s built into the monitor, independent of the operating system.

    They won’t stop. “Better product” went out the window long ago in favor of juicing the customer for every penny. Don’t give them your money and list it as a primary factor in any questionnaire you may run across.

          • ViatorOmnium@piefed.social
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            1 month ago

            They can, they would just need an excuse to make people connect the monitor to the internet to get new ads to be worth the trouble of implementing it.

            • Elvith Ma'for@feddit.org
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              1 month ago

              HDMI and USB C are used in monitors. Both can transmit more than just the image data, e.g. tunneling an Ethernet connection. Not sure if Display Port also supports that

              • ViatorOmnium@piefed.social
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                1 month ago

                That would be a way to sneak it in. Some monitors already have embedded USB-C hubs and have an Ethernet port to forward Ethernet to the connected computer.

                • somenonewho@feddit.org
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                  1 month ago

                  Oof. I’m actually using the USB Hub on my LG Monitor like that (with my Laptop connected to the USB-C) and recently thought “it would have been practical if it had an Ethernet port” now I’m quite happy it doesn’t. Thinking they could just be running a simple embedded Linux to show ads and forwarding the Ethernet connecting that would be sneaky … (Tough I would wonder about an additional Device on my Network)