oe7drt-website/content/posts/2024/61-smart-tvs-are-not-great/index.md

---
title: Smart TVs are not great
summary: >
  I've been talking about smart TVs with other people recently and we all
  came to the same conclusion: smart TVs may spy on us (like our smartphones do).
  The thumbnail on the side shows the actual microphone that is soldered onto the
  main circuit board of my remote control; it is no longer than 4 mm.
date: 2024-01-27T10:58:06+0000
# lastmod:
categories:
  - computerstuff
tags:
  - privacy
---

Have you noticed the product recommendations on Amazon whenever its ~~spy~~ Echo device
is in the same room as you and hears your conversations?

I usually ignore these recommendations anyway because they are actually way off of what I'm
looking for (or already have it) so there is no value in these personal advertisements.

BTW, personalized ads is something that I opt out whenever I can. I do not want or need them.
But Amazon thinks I need to see it anyway -- which makes me just more mad at them.

Always worth a rant, Amazon. Haha. Now actually I wanted to note that I removed the microphone
of my smart TV. I own that device since 2018/19 and it actually never came to my mind that
these devices could also spy on your conversations -- but the possibility is there and since
I never use the voice command function of my smart TV I decided to remove the mic.

![close up pic of the hole in the remote control](remote.jpg "The hole for the mic on my remote
control is located at the top")

The mic is usually located very easily, though the elements below the hole are very, very small.
I used a sharp cutting knife and a sharp side cutter to remove the tiny circuit board.

![a picture of the circuit board and the shielding](mini-mic.jpg 'There is a very small hole in the shielding that surrounds the small
components on the "microphone circuit board"')

![picture of the cutter: a sharp triangle kind of blade](cutter.jpg "These are often used on electronics workbenches to cut all sorts of things")

The microphone circuit board was connected on four points which I cut with this cutter slowly and
precise.

![for reference: same as before, but with the head of a match beside - they are like the same size](reference.jpg "A reference picture so you get a clue how small this circuit board actually is")