Life’s Not So Good With LG Products

LG originally stood for “Lucky Goldstar,” but the company now promotes it as “Life’s Good” in its marketing campaigns. LG Electronics offers a wide range of products, including televisions, home theater systems, refrigerators, washing machines, computer monitors, wearable devices, solar modules, and intelligent appliances. They also used to produce smartphones.

However, now life isn’t so good if you own any LG products. Consumers have discovered that the products are gathering and selling personal information. In fact, they may collect personal information about your online activities on websites and connected devices over time and across third-party websites, devices, apps, and other online features and services. Worse yet, if you buy any of their products, you must sign a terms of service agreement saying the company can sell this data to third-party marketers and firms.

Some consumers have found that the products use large amounts of Wi-Fi. Tom’s Hardware reported that one user posted on social media that his LG washing machine used 3.66 GB of data daily.

Even George Orwell didn’t see that one coming. The type of information being collected is especially distressing. For instance, on its “smart” TVs, LG collects information on the device’s feature settings, content recommendation list ID, and content ID. This means LG knows what the person is watching, when, and for how long.

In a video, Louis Rossman, a tech repairman and right-to-repair advocate, recently highlighted a concerning issue. One of his viewers provided screenshots of the new updates to the terms and conditions, showing that customers are not allowed to decline but are forced to accept via the connected app.

Additionally, LG’s smart vacuum cleaners are reported to collect a wide range of data, including images, drawings, maps, cleaning reservation information, cleaning history, cleaning diary, and video list information. Accepting the terms and conditions for one LG device also extends to other connected devices. For example, if a customer agrees to the terms for using a connected washing machine, those terms also apply to other LG products connected to the app.

Rossman reminded viewers of a story from several years ago. A certified Apple repairman found a sex tape on a customer’s phone and then uploaded it to the person’s social media page after logging into the customer’s account. This incident highlights the dangers of devices collecting very personal data.

I’m not a lawyer, but I sometimes play one when I write. It is ridiculous that you cannot buy a major manufacturer’s product without agreeing to become a victim of a spy vacuum or being infiltrated by a rinse cycle.

If this is LG’s idea of a “good life,” perhaps they need to be re-educated on the subject. If the only way to avoid embarrassing surveillance is not to buy LG products, then that’s the solution.

Let’s pull the plug on LG.