# How to Disable ACR to Stop Your TV From Tracking You
Your television collects data about what you watch, and most families have no idea it's happening. This tracking technology, called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), runs quietly in the background of most modern smart TVs. It monitors every show, movie, and app you view, then sells that behavioral data to advertisers and media companies.
ACR works like this. Your TV's built-in camera or microphone listens to audio and analyzes what appears on screen. It identifies the content you're watching, then logs this information. That data travels to third parties who use it to build profiles on your household. Advertisers pay for this information to target you with customized ads. Media companies use it to track viewing habits across millions of homes.
The practice affects your family's privacy without your active consent. Your children's viewing patterns. Your late-night streaming choices. Your sports preferences. All of it gets recorded and sold. This happens on televisions from major manufacturers including Samsung, LG, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and others. The practice has drawn criticism from privacy advocates and regulatory attention from the Federal Trade Commission.
You can stop ACR tracking on most smart TVs by adjusting your privacy settings. Here's how to do it on the most common platforms.
**Samsung TVs.** Navigate to Settings, then select Support, then Samsung Account. Look for "Viewing Information Collection" and toggle it off. You can also disable the microphone entirely by going to Settings, then Smart Features, then Voice Recognition, and turning it off.
**LG Smart TVs.** Go to Settings, then All Settings, then Live Plus. Find "Live Plus" settings and disable the feature. You can also navigate to Settings, then Support, then TV Diagnostics, then Auto Problem Solving Agent, and turn it off.
**Roku devices.** Open Settings, then Privacy, then Advertising ID. Toggle off Advertising ID to limit ad targeting. Go to Settings, then Privacy again, and turn off "Advertising ID" and "Enhanced Ad Experience."
**Amazon Fire TV.** Select Settings, then Applications, then Manage Installed Applications. Find the specific app using ACR (often Amazon's system apps), and select "Disable" to turn it off.
**Google TV and Android TV.** Go to Settings, then Privacy, then Diagnostics. Toggle off diagnostic data sharing. You can also disable the microphone permission for specific apps.
Beyond disabling ACR, you can take additional steps to protect your family's viewing privacy. Cover your TV's camera with a small piece of tape if it has one. Review your TV manufacturer's full privacy policy. Avoid connecting your television to WiFi if possible, though this limits streaming features. Consider using a privacy-focused streaming device like Apple TV instead of a manufacturer's built-in system.
Read your television's privacy settings carefully before purchase. Some manufacturers make privacy controls easier to access than others. If your current TV offers no way to disable ACR, newer models continue improving privacy options due to consumer pressure and regulatory scrutiny.
Your family's viewing habits deserve protection. Taking fifteen minutes to adjust these settings removes your household from the mass surveillance ecosystem that most smart TVs operate within.