How to disable ACR on your Smart TV and protect your privacy

A Smart TV can record more information about your viewing habits than you might imagine. Some televisions incorporate a technology called ACRdesigned to recognize some of the content displayed on the screen and use that information to offer recommendations, measure audiences, or personalize advertising.

This feature can identify programs from traditional television and, depending on the manufacturer and model, content displayed via apps or devices connected via HDMI. Its operation, availability, and name vary depending on the brand, operating system, and country.

The good news is that ACR can usually be disabled in your privacy settings. We'll explain below. What information does this technology recognize, how to check if it is enabled, and how to disable ACR on Samsung, LG, Sony, Roku, TCL, and Hisense TVs.

What is ACR on a Smart TV and how does it work?

ACR stands for Automatic Content Recognition or automatic content recognition. Its purpose is to determine what program, movie, advertisement, or other content the television is playing.

This does not necessarily mean that the device saves complete recordings or takes conventional screenshots. Typically, the system generates a digital fingerprint from small fragments of image or sound and compares it with a database of known content.

When it finds a match, it can record data such as:

• The well-known program, film, or advertisement.
• The channel or source from which it is played.
• The date and approximate duration of the viewing.
• The IP address and certain device identifiers.
• Technical information about the television and its operating system.

The exact capacity depends on each implementation. Some systems can recognize content from the antenna or an HDMI input, while others are limited to certain services or territories.

What are the data collected by the ACR used for?

Manufacturers and their suppliers can use the information generated by the ACR to create recommendations, measure a program's audience, study the effectiveness of advertisements, or personalize advertising.

Depending on the privacy policy you choose, some services may also link your TV viewing habits to other devices in your home using IP address, advertising identifiers, or other data. This can allow an advertising campaign to reach a mobile phone, tablet, or computer connected to the same network.

However, it's best to avoid overly categorical conclusions: see a related ad on another device does not in itself prove that the ACR is responsibleApplications, shared accounts, cookies, and other advertising systems can also produce that result.

ACR, microphone, and telemetry are not the same thing

Content recognition is just one of the mechanisms that can collect information on a Smart TV. It should not be confused with the following functions:

• Voice recognition: It processes commands spoken through the microphone of the remote control or the television.
• Telemetry: It records errors, performance, application usage, and other technical data.
• Advertising personalization: It uses an identifier to tailor ads to specific interests.
• HDMI-CEC: It allows you to control multiple devices connected via HDMI. It is not, by itself, a content recognition system.

This means that Disabling ACR does not necessarily stop all data collectionTo improve privacy, you should also review personalized advertising, voice services, app permissions, and the sending of diagnostics.

How to check if ACR is enabled

The option may appear under different names. Open your TV's privacy, terms, smart experience, or advertising settings and look for phrases like:

• Automatic content recognition.
• Display information.
• Visualization information services.
• Live Plus.
• Samba Interactive TV or Samba TV.
• Smart TV Experience.
• Enhanced Viewing or enhanced viewing service.
• Information from the television inputs.

It's also a good idea to review the consents you accepted during the initial setup. On some TVs, ACR is an optional service that only works after the user accepts its terms and conditions.

How to disable ACR on a Samsung TV

On many recent Samsung TVs, follow these steps:

1. Open Configuration.
2. Enter All settings.
3. Select General and privacy.
4. Open Terms and Privacy or an equivalent option.
5. Deactivate Display information services.
6. Also check out interest-based advertising and personalization services.

In previous models, these options could be found within “Terms and Conditions,” “Smart Hub,” or “Privacy Policy.” Samsung notes that the name and location may vary depending on the model and region.

How to disable Live Plus on an LG TV

LG commonly uses the term Live Plus for its content recognition functions. On many models with webOS, the path is as follows:

1. Press the settings button on the remote.
2. Enter All settings.
3. Open General and then System.
4. Select Additional configuration.
5. Locate Live Plus and turn it off.

Next, check the privacy or advertising settings to limit ad tracking. In some versions of webOS, Live Plus appears directly within the General menu.

How to disable Samba TV on a Sony TV

Certain Sony televisions use Samba Interactive TV to recognize content. On Android TV, the option is usually found in:

1. Open Settings.
2. Enter System preferences.
3. Select Interactive TV Settings o Samba Interactive TV.
4. Open the activation option.
5. Select Deactivate.

On some models you can also access the privacy settings of Samba TV and reset device advertising identifierThe paths for older Sony TVs can be found within Settings, Preferences, Network or Interactive Settings.

How to disable ACR on Roku TV

On TVs compatible with Roku TV, try this route:

1. Open Configuration.
2. Select Privacy.
3. Enter Smart TV Experience.
4. Unmark Use information from the TV inputs.

In English, the option may appear as Use info from TV inputsThis setting prevents Roku from using the recognition applied to certain inputs, but it doesn't necessarily control the activity collected by each streaming service.

Also check the advertising section to limit tracking and reset the advertising identifier.

How to disable ACR on TCL and Hisense TVs

With these brands, you should first check which operating system the TV uses, because not all models share the same menus.

In a TCL with Roku TVUse Roku's privacy settings. On models with Google TV or Android TV, open the privacy settings and check if Samba TV, Content Recognition, Viewing Information, or an equivalent service is listed.

Televisions Hisense with VIDAA They may include a function called Enhanced Viewing or enhanced viewing service. To disable it:

1. Open the TV settings.
2. Enter System o Privacy.
3. Look for the enhanced viewing service.
4. Withdraw consent or disable the feature.

VIDAA indicates that this service is optional and not available on all devices or in all territories. If you cannot find the option, please consult the privacy section or the terms you accepted during installation.

What changes after disabling ACR

By successfully disabling this feature, the service provider should stop collecting the viewing history generated by its content recognition system.

As a result, you may lose some automatic recommendations or features related to the programs you're watching. However, the TV should continue to play channels, apps, and connect to devices normally.

Deactivate ACR It does not remove ads or block all telemetryInstalled applications may continue to collect data according to their own policies, and the operating system may continue to send diagnostics if you do not disable those options separately.

Additional measures to improve the privacy of your Smart TV

In addition to disabling ACR, you can apply these measures:

• Turn off ad personalization and reset your advertising identifier.
• Check microphone, location, and voice recognition permissions.
• Delete the apps you no longer use.
• Sign out of any accounts you don't need to keep linked.
• Disable the optional sending of diagnostics and usage statistics.
• Keep the system updated to fix vulnerabilities.
• Please review the consents again after resetting the television.

You can also Block ads on a Smart TV using AdGuard Home or use another DNS filter. This measure adds a layer of protection, but It does not replace the deactivation of the ACR.Domains may change and some traffic uses encrypted connections.

If you don't use any connected features, disconnecting your TV from the internet prevents it from streaming information while it's offline. The downside is that you'll also lose access to streaming apps, updates, and other smart services.

Check your privacy settings regularly

The names and location of these options may change after an update, when you reset your TV, or when you accept new terms of service. Therefore, it's a good idea to periodically review the privacy, advertising, and diagnostics sections.

If you like prevent your Smart TV from sending usage data to third partiesDon't limit yourself to the ACR. Also check the installed apps, voice services, ad personalization, and permissions associated with your account.

Disabling automatic content recognition reduces the tracking of your viewing habits without hindering the TV's basic functionality. The key is to identify the name used by each manufacturer and review all related consents, as there is no single switch that can stop all data collection.