# Rooting LG TVs to Bypass Hidden Data Tracking and Advertising Standard privacy settings fail to stop LG TVs from sending significant user data. - **Source:** [How-To Geek](https://www.howtogeek.com) - **Published:** 2026-11-07 - **Topic:** [technology](https://brifing.si/c/technology) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/792fcd35-879d-4f4e-a92f-15b576e7df47 ## Persistent Data Collection Recent investigations revealed that LG televisions transmit substantial amounts of user data to company servers. Even when users manually disable Automatic Content Recognition and other privacy settings, the devices continue to communicate. This behavior persists regardless of whether the content originates from internal apps or external devices like Blu-ray players. ## Rooting for Control To regain control, users are employing the DejaVuln USB rooting method to gain administrative access. This process involves installing specific files via a USB stick and utilizing the TV's media player. Once rooted, the device allows for the installation of homebrew applications, such as the Glasshouse privacy tool, to block telemetry. ## Hidden Tracking Services The Glasshouse application identified six active tracking and advertising services that remained enabled despite standard setting adjustments. These hidden features included ad tracking, usage reporting, and sponsored tiles on the home screen. These services continued to operate in the background, effectively bypassing the user's attempts to opt out of data collection. ## Testing Privacy Options The author tested two blocking modes within Glasshouse to measure their impact on network traffic. The first option disabled the six identified tracking services, while the second, more extreme setting blocked additional LG endpoints. These tests were conducted over 48 hours while monitoring DNS requests to track the TV's communication patterns. ## Quantifiable Traffic Reduction Before rooting, the TV generated 704 DNS requests to LG-related services within a 24-hour period. After applying the initial blocking settings, this number dropped to 476, representing a 30% reduction. Implementing the full block further decreased requests by an additional 11%, demonstrating a clear decline in the device's external communication frequency. ## Specific Endpoint Blocking Analysis showed that specific domains, such as gb.ad.lgsmartad.com and gb.rdx2.lgtvsdp.com, ceased receiving requests entirely after the blocking software was applied. While DNS logs do not confirm the exact nature of the blocked data, the significant drop indicates that the TV is successfully prevented from reaching out to these specific advertising servers. ## Risks of Rooting Rooting a television carries significant risks, including the potential to permanently brick the device. Users should exercise extreme caution, especially with expensive models, as the process voids standard warranties. The author performed these tests on an older, less costly unit to mitigate the financial impact of a potential hardware failure during modification. ## Limited User Autonomy While rooting provides greater control, it remains an advanced solution for privacy-conscious users. The experiment highlights a discrepancy between advertised privacy settings and actual device behavior. Consumers currently face a trade-off where achieving true data isolation requires technical intervention that may compromise the functionality of official features like the Content Store. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.howtogeek.com/rooted-lg-tv-to-stop-it-spying-on-me/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._