Stop your smart TV from watching you

My last week's article on how smart TVs are watching us evoked a lot of attention, be it in-person meetups, voice calls or social media messages. The intention was not to scare anyone but to keep you aware of the possibilities and realities of these smart devices that are inside our homes and may even be inside our rooms too.
The article last week focused on how the smart TV might be watching you back. Many of the readers asked me, “What shall we do to stop the smart TV from watching us?” This week, my article will focus on the actions that you can take in order to protect yourself and your family while still enjoying a large and internet-connected TV.
First things first, let me shed some light on the realities of the matter. According to one of the industry reports I have come across during one of my business trips, the average home Internet of Things (IoT) environment in 2025 is subject to over 800 thousand hacking attempts per day.
Hackers and mischief users are using scanning tools to find, connect and hack into IoT devices that include smart TVs. Furthermore, it is reported that about 85% to 90% of smart TVs have vulnerabilities that attackers/hackers could exploit (especially because these smart TVs remain unpatched unlike mobile phones, tablets, desktops and laptops). Many of the smart TVs do not receive software updates in comparison to other devices (mobile, desktop and tablet). Ask yourself when was the last time you updated or received an update for your smart TV. Proof is in the pudding. So what shall one do in order to stop and protect oneself from smart TVs watching back?
First, when you turn on the smart TV (first time), it will most probably (unless it was set up by the place you bought the TV) ask you to create a profile, accept terms, and allow data sharing (viewing habits, voice commands and microphone/camera access).
Don’t just click accept. Instead, read every possible option for disallowing the TV from sharing your data. Review the privacy or data-sharing section and see if you can reject any data-sharing option. I know for a fact, especially with those cheap smart TVs, where such options are made by default, the TV unfortunately and quietly sends back data about what you watch, how long you watch and what time you pause or switch off. I am hoping that these articles and consumer questioning of the same will alert those TV manufacturers to start adding the possibility of stopping this feature (especially when consumers are aware, alert and would contribute to their low sales).
Secondly and most importantly, look for the built-in microphones (for voice commands) and cameras (especially for video-calling or gesture control) if available and disable them (if you are not using them). You may find the ways to do that depending on the operating system in question, but mostly they would be under the settings of the smart TV in question.
Thirdly, and something that many people don’t know (or actually do), is ensuring the software that runs the smart TV is updated. You do that for your mobile phone, notebook and laptop, then ensure you do that for the smart TV.
This is mostly available under settings, the About section or the Software Update option. If your TV is unsupported, it becomes an entry point for hackers, who may exploit it to get into your home network. Finally, switch off any feature that you don’t need or don’t use.
For example, screen mirroring or casting, voice assistant/microphone and any apps pre-loaded or you have downloaded over time — ensure you delete them and disable whatever you don’t use. Simplifying features means fewer ways for data to leak or for hackers to exploit. Period.
A large smart TV can surely bring your family together but shouldn’t bring outsiders and strangers inside your home and into your lives. A few smart actions as outlined in my article today will help you stop and protect your loved ones from hackers and the like. Invest little time to get the right smart TV, or if you already have one, to learn about how they work, in order to stay safe. Until we catch up again next week, please continue to enjoy the big screen but be vigilant as well.