To control your washing machine, LG's app asks for permission to use your phone's camera, microphone, and contacts — and to track your location even when you're not using the app. A washing machine needs none of these. LG uses the same app for all its smart products, so your laundry app carries the same permissions as a smart TV app.
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LG's washing machine app contains 14 tracking tools, including Google's advertising network (AdMob) and marketing platforms from Facebook, Salesforce, and Adobe. When asked directly whether they sell your data, LG's answer is deliberately unclear. A privacy watchdog gave the app a 'Warning' rating for these practices.
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LG says all permissions are optional, but users report the app won't work without sharing your location. The app also asks to track your location in the background — even when you're not using it. This means LG could know when you're home, when you're away, and your daily routine, all through a washing machine app.
LG says you can choose whether your TV watches what you watch. But to use your smart TV's features at all, you must agree to everything — there's no real choice. Meanwhile, the companion app comes loaded with 14 advertising trackers and requests access to your contacts, camera, microphone, and location, far beyond what a TV remote app needs.
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LG says they carefully ask permission before collecting your viewing data. But Texas's Attorney General is suing them, saying they capture screenshots of your TV every half-second and sell that data to advertisers — without properly telling you or getting real consent.
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LG sells their smart TVs as secure and regularly updated. But security researchers found that anyone could remotely take complete control of LG TVs through four serious security holes — and over 91,000 TVs were found vulnerable on the internet. These flaws existed across multiple years of webOS versions.
LG says they collect data to improve your experience, but the app that controls your soundbar secretly sends your data to 14 different tracking companies — including Facebook, Google's ad network, and data profiling firms. Your soundbar app is one of the most heavily tracked apps you can install.
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LG was caught red-handed collecting TV viewing data even when users turned off data collection. That was in 2013. Now the same company controls your soundbar through the same app ecosystem. Privacy reviewers gave the LG ThinQ app a "Warning" rating — they share your data for marketing and may sell it to third parties.
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Security researchers found that hackers could take over your LG TV and from there control every LG device on your account — including your soundbar. Over 91,000 LG devices were found exposed on the internet. LG took 4 months to fix these issues after being told about them. Your soundbar is only as secure as the weakest LG device in your home.
LG sells you a Gram 17 as a privacy-respecting laptop. This is the same LG that takes screenshots of your smart TV every 15 seconds and sells the data to advertisers through a company called Alphonso. A peer-reviewed study confirmed it. Texas AG Ken Paxton sued LG in December 2025 for misrepresenting data practices. When a company's TV division is in court for surveillance, trusting their laptop division requires a leap of faith.
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LG says you can opt out. On their smart TVs, "opting out" requires 27 clicks across four separate toggles buried in nested menus. Twenty-seven clicks to say no. LG designed a system where giving up privacy is the default and protecting it is an obstacle course. When a company builds 27-click opt-outs into one product line, ask what the opt-out looks like in their laptops — if one exists at all.
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LG advertises the Gram as "cleaner" software than competitors. Cleaner, not clean. LG still pre-installs Update+, Control Center, and Smart Assistant — each running background services and phoning home. "Less bloatware than Dell" is a low bar. LG's definition of "minimal" still includes enough software to build a usage profile and transmit it to the same company that takes screenshots of your TV every 15 seconds.