• by Wayne Friedman , July 5, 2018

Although the new consumer data privacy rules are now in force -- the European GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) rules and Consumer Privacy Act in California -- few consumers know what this means for them.

That's especially true when it comes to their smart TVs.

In a study of 36,000 consumers, Ace Metrix, a TV and digital video analytics company, says only 13% of people being tracked actually knew they were being monitored and recalled agreeing to the terms of service for their smart TV software.

Almost 50% were unsure whether their TV provider and/or DVR device collects data -- although 62% of them had TVs connected to the internet. 

In addition, 75% had no idea how they gave consent in the first place, with percentages at 88% for Gen Xers and 95% for baby boomers.

Looking at one major smart TV brand that does collect data -- Vizio -- 61% said they were unsure whether their Vizio smart TVs collect data.

Only 21% said their smart TV does not collect data, while 8% said they had agreed to terms of service; 7% also said yes, but did not recall ever being asked whether it was OK, and 3% also said yes, but added that they disabled the feature.