My parents got a "smart" LG TV not too long ago, and I've been trying to make sure they keep it completely offline, but I have a feeling they're going to give in soon. Planning on trying out a Pi-Hole tomorrow on their network
this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2026
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Keep it offline and don’t update it, Pi-Hole can help, but I wouldn’t count on it. I would also go with NextDNS. Suggest they get a device like an Apple TV and only use that. You can block most of LG’s domains router/DNS side.
That's what pihole does. Blocks on DNS level.
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I just bought a commercial display as a TV, it's amazing! No smart features, great clarity and brightness. Super durable, lots of nifty nerdy features.
200$ used for a 70"
That won’t save you if the manufacturer pulls the same shenanigans as LG, unfortunately.
If it’s old though, it’s unlikely they will.
Hey, 42% discount for Linux users !
If LG violates wire-tapping laws, it's actually your fault.
That's probably only legal in the US.
It’s not legal anywhere. But crime is legal in the US, so good luck getting anything done about it.
But crime is legal in the US
You have to be wealthy for this to apply to you
I've seen many a TOS that includes things that are technically unenforceable or otherwise in violation of current law. I guess the companies just like to hedge their bets. Who's going to stop them, right?
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John: We're not gonna make it, are we? People, I mean. Terminator: It's in your nature to destroy yourselves. John: Yeah. Major drag, huh?
Terminator: Judgement Day
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I think there’s some confusion in this thread.
This isn’t just about smart TVs.
LG also retroactively hit dumb TVs and dumb monitors, auto-installing a driver through Windows Update to load adware and who-knows-what-else. Dumb TVs are not safe, in this instance.
I know this because it hit me, just this month.
But how does my "dumb TV" have windows update?
When plugged in, maybe windows recognizes the monitor is LG and it's an auto download? That was how it seemed outlined in the video.
That’s precisely what it does.
Monitors can transmit their IDs over HDMI/DP, so then Windows update checks against its database and sees there’s a driver for this device.
To reiterate, it doesn’t actually do anything to the monitor though. Just your Windows install. I think the driver is ostensibly there to install a generic color calibration profile, but as you can see that’s just a pretense.
Instead of complaining, can we begin a discussion around alternatives? Or could we install an alternative OS on the LG TVs or any of the alternatives? It's difficulty, if not impossible, to buy a non smart big TV.
You can just not connect it to the internet and use a separate device to connect to your media, such as an Nvidia shield or a small computer with similar power.
Luckily the shields allow for wireless adb, which gives you the ability to rip out all of the bloat and install custom launchers.
This isn’t just about smart TVs. Dumb displays and TVs hooked to Windows got hit by this too.
But:
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There is no alternative OS for a smart TV.
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Pretty much all TVs are smart these days.
The solution is to leave the TV disconnected from the internet, and don’t run Windows. Which is quite doable these days.
Can't provide a source but I recall someone complaining about a TV connecting to passwordless Wi-Fi.
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Don't connect it to the internet, but instead just use it as a monitor for a computer which you control.
I am sure they are working on ways to prevent that in the future with coming smart tv generations (the tech giants dreams of the subscription based cloud computer for every consumer instead of them actually owning a pc is definitley a step in that direction), but so far that is the perfect solution to maintain control and keep your tv dumb and anti-dystopian.
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Linus made a video about dumb tv. Yeah, you can buy it now ! (With some caveats)
LG bricked my 5.1 sound system because their soundbar failed an automatic update. There is no way to restore the firmware.
fuck LG. never buying their shit again. completely anti-consumer.
Looks like it's equally a Windows problem as it is an LG problem. Why the fuck are you automatically installing shit off the internet when peripherals get connected?
It’s an abuse of the Windows Update “contract.” It’s supposed to be for installing drivers so devices function, but manufacturers have been abusing it to autoload bloatware for years.
Microsoft being Microsoft. In the 90s and 00s, Windows used to auto-launch programs from CDs when you put them in the drive. No check, just looks for an .exe, and silently runs it. Really good way to get a rootkit installed on your machine.
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Am probably not buying from LG again, Even if its not a smart TV.
This happened with my LG “dumb” monitor!
2020 35WN65C. Nothing smart about it, yet I got a “install Mcafee” popup out of nowhere, to my utter horror.
Well. I’ll never buy another LG display as long as I live. Great marketing there, LG.
It was a good reminder though. Been too long since I took a chainsaw to my Windows partition.
Look at that. It’s purge o’clock.
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Just never tell your TV what the wifi password is.
These nosy-ass companies aren't going to pay for a cellular connection just to spy on your TV.
please connect to the internet to do anything
If the TV can't even display basic inputs without connecting to the internet, I'm returning it to the store as defective.
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I am bringing this TV back for a refund as it doesn't work.
Soon they won't have to because of services like Amazon Sidewalk or the ISP-provided WiFi routers that use the customer's home to sell internet. Your neighbor's Palantir camera that spies on you whenever you leave your house will help your TV spy on you inside your house.
Or let it connect and drop it down a sinkhole on its own VLAN.
No idea if this is actually better, but it's what I do for the free smart things in my house.
The last time I bought a dumb monitor was in 2024. I won't be buying any for a long time.
That won’t necessarily save you. My 35WN65C is from 2020, and I got the Mcafee popup.
All a manufacturer needs to do is register an old monitor in Windows Update, I think.
Yep, retroactive application of enshittification.
I am so great fucking greatful to have been given my dad's old Sony Bravia that's not a smart TV.
I got all the connections like we used to.
I've been clutching on to my non smart tvs. I have two I have a Zenith 70" that my fiancés parents gave to her when she moved out and the bravia my dad gave me 12 years ago which is also 70".
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