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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The LG ThinQ app asks to read and edit your phone contacts and access your accounts — none of which are needed to control your TV. Combined with 14 advertising trackers built into the app, it appears designed to collect personal data for advertising, not just to manage your devices.
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 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.
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To diagnose problems, LG asks you to hold your phone against the washing machine while it records audio. But the microphone doesn't just hear the washer — it captures whatever sounds are in your home. LG's privacy policy doesn't say how long these recordings are kept or whether they're used for anything beyond fixing your washer.
The app that controls your soundbar asks for permission to use your phone's microphone, even though the soundbar itself has no microphone. This means LG could potentially listen through your phone whenever the app is running, despite the soundbar being just a speaker.
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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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To control your soundbar — which is just a speaker — LG's app demands access to your phone's camera, your entire contacts list, and all the accounts on your phone. None of this is needed to adjust volume or change sound modes on a speaker bar.
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.