Smart TV manufacturer ordered to stop collecting viewer data while court case proceeds in Texas
Summary
A Texas judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing Hisense from collecting, using, sharing or selling viewing data from Texas residents while Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit advances through the courts. The order specifically blocks the use of automated content recognition (ACR) technology to capture viewers’ habits.
The legal action follows a broader filing against five major smart TV makers alleging they secretly use ACR to monitor and monetise what consumers watch. Paxton argues this breaches the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act because data were gathered without informed consent; he also raised concerns about the company’s ties to China and potential data exposure to the Chinese government. Hisense has pushed back, saying it respects customer privacy and stands by its products.
Key Points
- A Texas court issued a temporary restraining order barring Hisense from using ACR to collect Texans’ viewing data while the case proceeds.
- The injunction prohibits using, sharing or selling data captured via ACR for Texas residents.
- Attorney General Ken Paxton sued under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, alleging data were collected without consumers’ knowledge or consent.
- The lawsuits target five smart TV makers and highlight how lucrative ACR-driven ad targeting has become (Vizio earned more from ACR data sales than TV sales in 2021, per the filings).
- Paxton alleges Hisense’s ACR captures every sound and image every 500 milliseconds and warned of potential exposure to the Chinese Communist Party due to the company’s country of origin.
- Hisense responded by defending its products and stating it respects customer privacy.
Content summary
The article reports a provisional legal victory for privacy advocates in Texas: a judge temporarily stopped Hisense from collecting viewer data via ACR while a state lawsuit is litigated. The case forms part of a larger pushback against smart TV makers accused of covertly harvesting viewing data to fuel ad targeting. The piece outlines the legal basis (Deceptive Trade Practices Act), the specifics of the alleged data capture, the potential national-security angle cited by the AG, and Hisense’s denial of wrongdoing.
Context and relevance
This fits into a wider trend of scrutiny over consumer devices that quietly collect behavioural data — from smart TVs to apps — and growing regulatory interest in enforcing consent and transparency. The case could set precedents about how ACR is treated legally and commercially in the US, affect ad-tech revenue models for TV makers, and influence purchaser trust in connected devices.
For policymakers, privacy teams and anyone buying a smart TV, the decision underscores the risks of opaque data practices and the potential for state-level legal action to curb them.
Why should I read this?
Short answer: because if you own (or are thinking of buying) a smart TV, this is about whether your telly is secretly taking notes on everything you watch. A judge just hit pause on Hisense’s data-gathering for Texans while the lawsuit runs — we read the legal bits so you don’t have to. Quick, relevant and directly tied to your privacy at home.
Source
Source: https://therecord.media/hisense-ordered-to-stop-data-collection-texas-lawsuit