Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed lawsuits against five major television manufacturers, accusing them of illegally collecting consumer data through smart TV technology and, in two cases, exposing Texans to potential foreign government access.
The lawsuits, filed against Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL Technology Group Corporation, allege that the companies’ smart televisions use Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology to monitor what consumers watch. According to the filings, this monitoring extends across streaming services, traditional cable programming, and even external devices such as gaming consoles and Blu-ray players.
Each lawsuit opens with the same assertion that the companies’ “TVs are watching you back.” Paxton alleges that the data collection is intentional and hidden from consumers. “This isn’t a glitch or side effect — it’s deliberate,” the filings state.
According to the suits, ACR enables what the attorney general describes as “mass-surveillance” inside consumers’ homes. The lawsuits argue that most users were never properly informed about the scope of the data collection and never meaningfully consented to it. Paxton contends that these practices violate Texas consumer protection and data privacy laws.
Special attention is given in the lawsuits to Hisense and TCL, both of which are based in China. Paxton argues that their corporate ties raise additional concerns about where consumer data could ultimately end up.
The lawsuit against Hisense claims that Chinese law requires the company to share user data with the Chinese government upon request. The filing states that this obligation applies to data from approximately 1.27 million Texans who use Hisense televisions. According to the suit, Hisense’s consumer-facing policies do not clearly disclose this risk.
“Instead, Hisense’s End User Terms and Conditions state that it ‘may transfer’ your personal information to the People's Republic of China,” Paxton’s lawsuit states.
The cases were filed in different counties across Texas. The Hisense lawsuit was filed in Comal County district court. Sony is being sued in Nueces County, Samsung in Collin County, LG in Tarrant County, and TCL in Williamson County.
Texas is seeking permanent injunctions against all five companies, according to court documents. Such injunctions could restrict or prohibit certain data collection practices if the state prevails.
In a press release issued Monday afternoon, Paxton framed the lawsuits as a defense of consumer privacy and national security.
“Companies, especially those connected to the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording Americans’ devices inside their own homes,” Paxton said. “This conduct is invasive, deceptive, and unlawful.”
He added, “The fundamental right to privacy will be protected in Texas because owning a television does not mean surrendering your personal information to Big Tech or foreign adversaries.”
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