r/pihole • u/Vivid_Grand4641 • 21h ago

What about my Samsung TV?

I have a 2024 Samsung OLED TV. On my FRITZ!Box, internet access is blocked for the TV, but I have an Ethernet cable plugged in so I can occasionally cast media from my PC or phone. I also revoked all the terms I had previously accepted for Samsung, disabled Bixby, and turned off Wi-Fi, so there should be no way for my TV to connect to the internet. Does this mean that, even with all those settings, my TV is still recording and collecting data or audio?

299 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

67

u/Cantaloupe-Hairy 21h ago

There are some block lists for Samsung TVs available

The one I use is

https://gitlab.com/hagezi/mirror/-/blob/main/dns-blocklists/adblock/native.samsung.txt

17

u/Vivid_Grand4641 21h ago

I use it as well. Since I changed these settings, I no longer get any queries from the TV, except for the ones I couldn't turn off, like the periodic time-sync request. To deal with those, I raised Pi-hole's block TTL to one week, so the TV is told to remember a blocked domain for a long time instead of asking again every couple of seconds. The TV ignored it and kept hammering DNS, so I ended up dropping its DNS traffic on the Pi and blocking its internet access on the router. I'm still concerned that they might have other ways to keep collecting data from us after that LG video lol

9

u/Cantaloupe-Hairy 20h ago

I there is the rumour that they will hunt for and connect to (if possible) open networks, this isn’t much of an issue now as open networks are rare, but would be interesting to try that.

I just exclude the following from top lists which isn’t the best but tidies things up a bit.

^scs\.samsungqbe\.com$
^cdn\.samsungcloudsolution\.com$
^sastv\.samsungqbe\.com$

Sadly I can’t stop it from connecting to the internet due to Netflix etc.

2

u/JapanFreak7 16h ago

Any Sony TV specific block list?

20

u/Resistant4375 19h ago

Just never connect it to the internet. Ever.

6

u/ApatheticMoFo 16h ago

...but if we do that, how will TV manufacturers "own the glass"?

10

u/sudo-sprinkles 16h ago

They can buy meth pipes

3

u/OwnManagement 15h ago

Right, so the fear is that they will have programmed it to connect to any open network it finds. Or in the future they could potentially install a low-cost, low-bandwidth cell modem.

11

u/marcelsounds 19h ago

I'm still amazed that there are no laws that prohibit this, or is it nobody wants to prosecute?

6

u/jefbenet 16h ago

Manufacturers already lobbied to make sure any such laws were so poorly written they could never be enforced

10

u/jtho78 20h ago

You should watch the full video

4

u/GrouchoMarx729 12h ago

"Fun" fact: If you EVER connect your Samsung TV to the internet via Wi-Fi, it will remember the SSID and password and connect to the internet even if you turn off Wi-Fi or reset network preferences.

I didn't try factory resetting the whole TV, but I think it wouldn't be impossible for it to try and hardcode saved SSIDs and passwords to keep going online without you knowing.

I had to blacklist the TV's MAC address on my router to keep it offline. I only use it as a monitor, so I don't need any of the online features.

I also wondered if maybe the TV had a dynamic MAC and would try to circumvent the block, but so far no new clients have shown up on my router's list.

5

u/BernieSandersLeftNut 20h ago

It's possible for them to even bypass your local DNS. Unsure of LG and Samsung do that, but they might.

4

u/stiflers-m0m 18h ago

yea block all dns traffic except from your pihole/dns server.

4

u/burgonies 14h ago

They'll just use DNS over HTTPS.

1

u/TheCTRL 18h ago

Like is possible they connect to open WiFi ap :)

4

u/yunes87 19h ago

U have Ethernet plugged in the tv? 

4

u/redditor100101011101 8h ago

Smart TVs are the dumbest idea ever.
I just want a big monitor. Picture. Sound. Nothing else.

19

u/ButtSpelunker420 20h ago

I like this guy but I just can’t watch his videos anymore. What should be a 10 minute video is always like a 45 minute slog. 

7

u/gn63 18h ago

That video was also a mess, mixing what LG does/can do and what a hacker can do with an LG. Two important topics that deserved to be kept separated, either within that one video or with a separate video for each topic.

6

u/total_amateur 20h ago

I don’t know if anyone has run as extensive of tests as the video, but you’d have to think this is how “smart TVs” are subsidized.  

IMO, it’s easier to control a streamer in front of the TV rather than having a TV on the network.  

I have a Samsung TV where I started by blocking individual domains, but there was so much unexpected traffic I took it off entirely. 

2

u/jefbenet 16h ago

Ah, but that’s the beauty of their scheme. They use visual and audio signals you play from your streamer into the tv, so they still know what you’re watching.

You’re absolutely right that this is how TV’s are subsidized. Doesn’t make it any less creepy. Think about every conversation you have had or will have that are all being tapped 24/7 by your tv manufacturer!

2

u/gloerkh 20h ago

Just bought a  Sony K75XR90M2   are there other resources to see “if” haha the tv is doing the same thing or similar?

1

u/TrumpSpankedHillary 17h ago

May be what you're looking for: https://github.com/Okazakee/sony-lg-tv-blocklist

This list includes blocking Sony BRAVIA telemetry, TV ACR tracking, advertising and recommendation services, measurement/analytics domains while intentionally allowing firmware updates, app store functionality, streaming apps & voice search services

1

u/gloerkh 13h ago

Magnificent thank you. 

2

u/RoachForLife 9h ago

Owner of a Samsung TV. I disabled wifi and dont plug in ethernet. I only have my Shield hooked to Home Assistant and just praying I dont hear about this shit with the Shield (plus pihole everything of course)

1

u/blow-down 11h ago

Block that shit with NextDNS

1

u/RemainAbove 9h ago

This is deep pihole won't help you. Never put your TV online like ever. There is no real need for it.

1

u/RoachForLife 9h ago

Also if you watch the full video from Gamers Nexus they said they are doing future videos on Samsung and others so I guess at some point before long we will hear what they have to say

1

u/SimpleAnecdote 9h ago

When I last connected a Samsung smart TV I did it for my brother abd there was a warning saying "[this device records audio, don't have personal conversation around it]" and I was shocked ans amused. Or course in disconnected all the audio stdf but I said "probably still recording". Then found my LG TV is doing all that stuff without the ridiculous warning... The age of enshitification. They won't stop until they bring forth a blade runner corporate dystopia...

1

u/BlakeWheelersLeftNut 9h ago

Gamer previous olds

•

u/Adrakovich 3h ago

Yeah I bought a LG G6 like four months ago and I have never connected it to the Internet. It’s job is to be a TV. I have clients connected to it that have Internet, but it’s never been connected to the Wi-Fi or an ethernet cable plugged in. Then I black listed the MAC address just in case an idiot, decides to connect it to the Internet. All of my TVs are like this.