Privacy by Default: Streaming and Buried Privacy

Streaming devices make entertainment on demand easier than ever. Users can access all their favorite services, shows, sports, news and more from one device. However, while you are watching on your favorite device, your favorite device may be watching you too. Smart TVs and streaming devices aren’t literally watching you. But their software is tracking your actions and choices from behind the scenes. As smart TVs and streaming devices are becoming more and more ubiquitous, your privacy choices are decreasing.

Consumers can’t buy a plain, dumb TV with simple cable anymore. That means more technology, more custom viewing, more recommended viewing, and more security concerns. From Amazon and Roku to Google and even Apple, major smart platforms are capturing viewing data. One tool for tracking is called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), which is software that recognizes the images on the TV. ACR works regardless of whether the images come through an app or an HDMI port like a cable box. This is similar, yet way more advanced, to the V-chip of the 90s. The idea behind a V-chip is simple. TV shows have a signal embedded in them that gives the show a rating, and the chip can detect these ratings. ACR is also way more discerning than the V-chip, able to compare to databases of content and in most cases identify exactly what you are watching.

Setting up a streaming device is easy. When a smart TV comes out of the box, it’s automatically set up to collect data, and users must wade through settings and preferences to turn off device usage data, app usage data, and interest-based ads. Why doesn’t the setup process include affirmatively making decisions about data collection?

Amazon’s privacy policy says that an Amazon device “collects data about your use of the device and its features, such as your navigation of the home screen, selection of device settings (such as device language, display size, WiFi and Bluetooth options), or open and close of apps and services.” They also use this data to “develop and improve products and features, to gain insights into how products are being used, assess customer engagement, identify potential quality issues, analyze [their] business, and customize marketing offers.”

Google has one privacy policy across the company’s products which details the data it collects to sell ads or recommend other content such as YouTube videos. This includes crash reports and usage data from devices, apps and Chromecast.

Roku’s privacy policy states that the company will collect “your search history, search results, audio information when you use voice-enabled features, channels you access (including usage statistics such as what channels you access, the time you access them, and how long you spend viewing them), interactions with content and advertisements, and settings and preferences.” Roku goes further by “including ads that you view within Roku’s Channels and Third-Party Channels, as well as ads included in content that you view through your Roku TV’s antenna and connected devices.”

Apple’s privacy policy claims that they collect information from the Apple ID mainly so the user can seamlessly pick up where they left off on other devices. But unlike the others on this list, Apple, who is more forward thinking about Privacy by Default, always asks if the user wants individual apps to track usage the first time that they use them. Users can prevent each app from seeing their data by clicking NO every time this pops up.

Privacy by Default is a very simple concept. The default setting should always be the strictest possible setting without requiring any manual input from the user. Clarip provides data compliance solutions for companies that collect data, but still need to comply with data privacy laws. We offer fully automated data subject request fulfillment, data mapping, website scanning, vendor management, consent management, and much more data privacy solutions.  Visit us at www.clarip.com or call us at 1-888-252-5653 to learn more.

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