Reverse engineer finds AI-driven ad tracking on 2025 Samsung TV
log4j says the Tizen TV assembled audio categories, screenshots and a cross-device ad ID, and that OpenAI later banned the account for cyber abuse.
A reverse engineer and cybersecurity bounty hunter using the handle log4j has publicly reported that reverse-engineering the Tizen OS on a 2025 Samsung TV revealed AI-driven collection of audio, screenshots and ad-tracking data, according to tomshardware.com. log4j said the investigation began after noticing unusually specific targeted ads on the set.
According to log4j, the TV contains user telemetry built from packet logging, audio categorization, screenshots and a cross-device ad tracking ID (AID), along with a region-specific convolutional neural network that tracks behavior such as watched videos, skipped ads and video progress.
log4j also reported finding code for TVs without microphones that seeks connected devices with microphones, such as a soundbar or Bluetooth device, in order to record audio.
Hugging Face engineer ngxson tested that microphone behavior with a Flipper Zero, log4j's account states, observing the TV opening the microphone for five seconds and then stopping. According to the findings, the test TV was rooted with several settings disabled.
log4j said OpenAI tools were used for local reverse engineering and that OpenAI later banned the account for cyber abuse, a decision log4j disputed. log4j is preparing a comprehensive write-up of the findings, including a method for others to reproduce them.
Earlier privacy complaints
In earlier coverage cited in the article, LG has also been accused of spying on customers, and many TV owners have reported their sets slowing down despite no new features or heavy apps, which some suspect is bloatware.
Quick answers
What did log4j find on the 2025 Samsung TV?
log4j reported user telemetry built from packet logging, audio categorization, screenshots and a cross-device ad tracking ID, plus a region-specific neural network tracking watched videos, skipped ads and video progress.
Why did OpenAI ban log4j?
According to log4j, OpenAI banned the account for cyber abuse; log4j disputed the ban. The account said OpenAI tools were used for local reverse engineering.
How did ngxson test the microphone behavior?
The Hugging Face engineer used a Flipper Zero and saw the TV open the microphone for five seconds before stopping, though the TV was rooted with several settings disabled.