TECH NEWS

How to disable ACR on your TV (and why it makes such a big difference when you do)

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ZDNET's key takeaways

  • Smart TVs track viewing habits with ACR tech.
  • Collected data fuels billions in targeted ads.
  • Turning off ACR protects privacy but takes effort.

Most modern smart TVs come with a silent partner: Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). This ad-tracking tech monitors everything on your screen in real-time, feeding your viewing history into a database to build a precise profile of your habits. It's the engine behind those eerily specific ads -- and it's likely running the moment you press the power button.

Also: Own a Samsung TV? I changed these 6 settings to make the system run like new again

What's the incentive behind this invasive technology? Money. Companies buy and sell the tracking data collected from your search histories and media preferences to fine-tune targeted ad campaigns. According to Yahoo Finance, the smart TV ad market...

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