Smart TV Voice Recognition Concern

What does the voice data do / what is it used for?

·        The voice recognition feature allows you to control the TV by using commands such as “Channel up/down” or “Volume up/down.” It also allows you to search for content – for example “Basketball games” so that the select Smart TVs can make recommendations.

Is the TV recording my voice or conversations all the time?

·        No. The feature is only turned on when the user activates it.

·        The voice recognition feature of the TV is easily activated or deactivated by the user.

·        Users can easily recognize if the voice recognition feature is activated because a microphone icon appears on the screen.

How do I know it’s listening or not?

·        If the TV’s voice recognition feature is turned on for a command, an icon of a microphone will appear on the screen.

·        If no icon appears on the screen, the voice recognition feature is off.

How do exactly I turn voice recognition on and off?

·        To turn on voice recognition, first you must agree to the privacy policy and activate the feature in the settings menu.

·        Then you can either say “Hi TV” or press the voice command button on select remote controls. The microphone icon will then appear on your TV screen and the TV will then await the command. If one is not heard within 15 seconds, the voice recognition feature will automatically turn off.

Is my voice recorded on the TV? Sent and kept elsewhere?

·        The TV does not actually record any sounds, but merely processes the requested command into data in order to obey the command or search for content.

Is my voice provided to a third party? Do they keep it?

·        The only time voice data is provided to a third party is during a search. At that time, the voice data is sent to a server, which searches for the requested content then returns the desired content to the TV. For example, if you search for “Basketball Games,” the data will transmit to an external server that compiles all instances of “Basketball games” and then returns that data to the TV.  The data is deleted shortly after the question is answered.

Is my voice or data sold to third parties for marketing purposes?

·        Your voice data is not sold to a third party; it is merely used to process the request made for content.

Does my personal information get sent to a third party?

·        Details such as your name, address, etc. are not sent to a third party unless you actively provide such details during the course of the command. For example, if you activate voice control and ask to search your own name and state that is your name, then that data would then go to a third party server, perform the search and return the results.

Who owns the third party server?

·        Samsung does not release information about our third party vendors.

The Samsung Privacy Policy states that nothing will be sent without my permission, I never gave my permission.

·        The voice recognition function is enabled only when users agree to the separate Privacy Policy regarding this function in the TV settings.

·        Users are presented with the opt-in choice for the voice recognition feature during the set p of the TV. Should a user wish to opt-out of the feature at a later date, it is very simple and I’d be happy to walk you through.

It’s great that we can view Samsung’s terms and conditions, but what about the vendor’s terms and conditions? Are we supposedly to just blindly agree to them?

·        Upon set up, in addition to agreeing to our privacy policy, customers who elect to use this feature also agree to a separate privacy policy presented by the third party vendor.

Can I turn the voice recognition feature off?

·        Yes. Voice Recognition can be deactivated from the settings in the menu.  

·        If voice recognition is turned on and a microphone icon appears on your screen, you can also disable the function by pressing the Exit button on the remote control.

Is the microphone recording when I am using certain apps?

·        The third-party apps on Samsung TVs are controlled by third parties and therefore they have their own set of terms and conditions. We recommend that you refer to that application’s privacy policy if you have any questions.

Do the TVs come with voice recognition enabled or disabled?

·      The interactive voice recognition function is enabled only when you opt-in to this feature during the initial set-up of the TV.

You can know more handy tips for Samsung Smart TV from the Smart Simulator.