Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced a significant agreement with Samsung Electronics America that aims to stop smart TVs from collecting personal viewing data without consumers’ informed consent. This settlement represents one of the most visible privacy actions from the Texas Office of the Attorney General in 2026, reinforcing states’ growing role in enforcing digital privacy protections in the age of connected devices.
Under the agreement, Samsung has agreed to alter the default settings and user interface of its internet-connected televisions so that the technology responsible for identifying content shown on a screen – known as Automated Content Recognition (ACR) – cannot collect or process user data without first obtaining clear and explicit consent from Texas consumers. The company will introduce more transparent disclosures and require affirmative consent before any such data collection takes place.
According to the terms of the settlement, Samsung will no longer gather or analyze ACR data within Texas unless a user actively chooses to enable it. This step is designed to give consumers straightforward control over whether their viewing habits and device interactions are tracked and potentially monetized by third parties.
How the Agreement Changes Smart TV Data Practices
The latest deal with Samsung marks a shift away from pre-enabled tracking features that often operate in the background. Instead of burying data collection within complex terms of service or relying on buried opt-out settings, Samsung will now present disclosures up front and make them unmistakably clear to users setting up or using their smart TVs.
For millions of Samsung smart TV owners, this means encountering an explicit choice about data collection rather than discovering these practices only after the fact. The revised approach is intended to align TV makers’ privacy practices with reasonable consumer expectations around transparency and consent.
Broader Smart TV Lawsuits and Enforcement Actions
The Samsung agreement did not occur in isolation. In late 2025, Paxton’s office filed lawsuits against five major smart TV manufacturers — including Sony, LG, Hisense and TCL Technology — alleging that these companies used ACR technology to capture viewing data without adequate disclosure or consent. The suits argue that such data collection can go well beyond tracking what shows a user watches and may include detailed information about other content displayed on smart screens or connected devices, all without users being fully informed.
Of those defendants, Samsung is the first to reach a settlement that imposes meaningful changes to its product’s privacy model. Texas’s ongoing litigation against the remaining manufacturers continues to press similar claims and could result in further legal developments or settlements as the cases proceed.
State Privacy Enforcement – A Growing Trend
The smart TV privacy push is part of a larger enforcement initiative by Paxton’s office focused on data practices that the AG views as deceptive, invasive or exploitative. While the Samsung settlement is among the most consumer-facing, it comes amid other actions with privacy implications.
In recent months, Paxton has targeted a range of companies and technologies for alleged violations involving data misuse or inadequate consumer protections. These include lawsuits against online platforms and e-commerce entities accused of harvesting personal information without clear consent, as well as enforcement actions tied to products or services connected to foreign entities where data security and national security concerns overlap.
Paxton’s office has repeatedly described these efforts as part of a broader consumer protection mission, asserting that Texans and Americans more broadly deserve to know when their personal information is collected and how it is used. We broke the story on the 5 tv manufacturers that were sued for privacy violations under Paxton as well as the Allstate saga. So whether its TVs, cars, or any other way your data is being abused the state of Texas will not sit back and its important to use privacy software to help stay compliant.
Have Clear Privacy Controls
For consumers, the Samsung agreement represents a concrete victory in the battle for clearer privacy controls and more transparent technology interfaces. Users of connected devices across categories — not just televisions — may soon expect similar consent-oriented practices, particularly as state attorneys general continue to scrutinize technologies that operate inside the home.
For the tech and consumer electronics industries, Texas’s actions underline an increasingly assertive regulatory environment at the state level. In the absence of comprehensive federal privacy law in the U.S., states like Texas are leveraging existing deceptive trade and consumer protection statutes to press for stronger notice and consent requirements.
Legal experts and privacy advocates are watching these developments closely, as outcomes in Texas could influence how companies approach privacy disclosures and consent mechanisms nationwide.
Make Technology Transparent
The Samsung deal may set a precedent for how smart device manufacturers handle embedded tracking technologies. As litigation and enforcement actions continue against the other smart TV makers targeted by Texas, additional agreements or court rulings may further shape the landscape.
For now, the agreement signals that state enforcement can drive companies toward more transparent and consumer-centric privacy practices — and that smart technology makers should be prepared for legal scrutiny if they fail to clearly and conspicuously inform users about data collection happening behind the scenes.
