Not long ago we warned you about the dangers of smart TVs and how they can pose a threat to your privacy. Unfortunately, the following case is exactly the same as the previous one: Vizio has been spying on its clients since 2014 via their smart TVs. What’s worse is that the collected data, which included personably identifiable information, was then sold to the highest bidders for targeted advertisement purposes. This is already a Titanic-size catastrophe, but don’t you think for a second that all lifeboats are lowered for all Vizio users. In fact, this article might be the best way to avoid further abuse.
Vizio was once known for being a company with substantially low priced smart TVs equipped with pretty decent performance. However, Murphy stroke again: if the deal seems too good to be true, then something is indeed fishy. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s statement, Vizio and its affiliate have manufactured smart TVs that captured second-by-second information since February 2014. Aside from collecting information on the service provider, broadband, the brand of devices connected to the TV etc., Vizio obtained sensitive data as well, such as customers’ gender, age, income, marital status, household size, education level, home ownership and household value information. Knowing that the company acted like Big Brother is already terrifying, but the sad fact is that all of the above was done without clients having a clue about it. Furthermore, the collected data was then sold to third parties who used it for bombarding those same unaware consumers with targeted advertising.
However, Vizio’s acts will not remain unpunished. The company has to pay around $2.2 million to settle these charges, $1.5 million of which will go directly to the FTC and an additional $700,000 to the state of New Jersey where the civil lawsuit was filed.
Aside from being fined, the company has to delete all data gathered up to this point and is obliged to collect further information only after the exclusive consent of individual users. This means that if you own a Vizio smart TV or plan to acquire one in the future, you “just” need to pay attention to the privacy policy you agree upon. If you are more concerned, you can do two things: either disconnect your TV from your home network (and enjoy the “benefits” of a regular TV) or you can go with the more convenient solution: getting a VPN.
Since smart TVs rarely or don’t support VPN client software, you’ll have to invest in a VPN router. You might be wondering, why bother buying a new router instead of a perfectly operational one. Consider VPN routers a long-term investment: you can select from dozens of pre-flashed VPN routers ready to be used with your VPN service, and once the chosen one is set, it will act over your entire home network, distributing a safe signal and protecting your entire smart home . Your data will be safe forever under heavy military-grade encryptions, making it impossible for anyone to spy on you.
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