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The smart TV on your wall isn’t just for watching shows and movies. It also might be spying on you. A bombshell report claims that some smart TVs are recording living room conversations, storing unencrypted transcripts, and sucking up other private data, all for “advertising” purposes. Here’s what you need to know and how to stop it.During a two-hour video posted by Gamers Nexus, editor in chief Steve Burke argued that LG’s smart TVs can suck up an enormous amount of information about their users. If you own a smart TV of any kind whatsoever, you’re still not completely safe.“We were able to retrieve plain-text transcripts of voice conversations and inputs from the TV,” Burke claimed. His team also maintained that audio and video could be recorded and saved to a remote device, even while the TV was disconnected from the internet.While the alleged conversation-recording capabilities would be the most alarming discovery, users could also face siphoning of other personal data. Burke said his test LG TV scoured his data network and saved an entire list of smart devices that were also linked to the same Wi-Fi address, including iPhones, Android devices, Apple Watches, routers, printers, PCs, and more. Burke further claimed it also marked down the IP address for the host network, as well as the individual IP addresses of the other located devices, and marked down the TV’s geographical location and the names of other nearby Wi-Fi networks.That would amount to just about all the information available to the device.Ultimately, Burke and others suggest, LG compiles this information and sells it to advertisers so that they can serve customers targeted ads through their LG Ad Solutions network. Gamers Nexus further claims, however, that LG and its partners aren’t the only ones that can access this data. Hackers may also get ahold of it through “remote code execution" vulnerabilities where they take control of a TV and manipulate its behavior.To be clear, LG denied all of Burke's claims. The company pushed back forcefully.The claims made in the recently published video are not true. LG TVs process voice data only when the voice button on the remote control is pressed and held or when a wake word such as "Hi LG" is recognized after the user has activated the Far-Field voice recognition feature. Other than these instances, the TVs do not collect or record ambient conversations. (If the wake word is not recognized, no voice data is transmitted to the server; the audio processing for wake word detection is performed locally on the device and is immediately deleted.)So where does this leave users?RELATED: Your smart TV may be watching you back: NEW report reveals troubling details Pat Gray UnleashedAt this point, whether or not you might worry about LG smart TVs in your home that might be recording your conversations, you might think you’re in the clear because you have an other-branded TV on the wall. Unfortunately, if you own a smart TV of any kind whatsoever, you’re still not completely safe.Shortly after Burke published the initial video alleging LG’s surveillance machine, the Verge, a longtime mainstream tech media outlet, claimed that all smart TVs track their users through automatic content recognition. Built into most modern TVs, ACR monitors your screen to see what you watch. It can also capture audio and video from viewing sessions and send them to a server to help the TV provider deliver content recommendations or sell targeted ads.Granted, ACR isn’t nearly as invasive as LG’s audio surveillance discovery is claimed to be, but it still proves that, at the very least, your viewing habits are being watched and monetized out from under you.That brings us to the solution. If you own an LG TV and you’re wondering what to do next, here are some tips that can help.Wipe and restore your smart TV as new. This process is a little different, depending on the year of your LG TV, but the goal is ultimately the same. We want to wipe any local data your TV already captured and stored, including surveillance data.Disconnect your TV from the internet. Cut off Wi-Fi access and unplug any ethernet cables attached to the back panel. If your TV can’t connect to the internet, it can’t transmit surveillance data. That said, Gamers Nexus discovered that LG TVs still capture conversations while disconnected, and they can relay transcripts if that connection is ever restored, so ensure you keep your LG TV away from your Wi-Fi for good.Give your TV a new brain. Since you now effectively turned your smart TV back into a dumb TV, you can get back some smart functionality by connecting a separate streaming device, preferably without ACR. Non-ACR options include the Apple TV and the Google TV Streamer, while Fire TV and Roku both come with ACR technology built in.The best way to stop smart TV companies from spying on you is not to own a smart TV at all. However, new dumb TVs are hard to find these days, especially in larger form factors. At the very least, if you do plan to buy a new TV soon, shop carefully, and watch as events unfold.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Questions have swirled about Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s past for years, but one reporter from LindellTV finally had the guts to ask her these questions on camera.Alison Steinberg stopped Omar in a congressional hallway and pressed her on a claim that BlazeTV host Pat Gray’s been waiting for.“I have been waiting for this particular confrontation with Ilhan Omar for a long time. A long time. Somebody actually finally did it,” he says, before playing a clip of the tense encounter.“Hi congresswoman, Tom Homan said that you’re under criminal investigation for immigration and marriage fraud,” Steinberg said, asking, “Any comment on that?”“No, I don’t have a comment for that,” Omar responded through laughs.“If there’s some marriage fraud,” Steinberg continued, “Can you just tell us straight up, did you marry your brother?”“Absolutely not. What a ridiculous thing to ask,” Omar said, before adding, “Did you marry your brother?”“Absolutely not,” Steinberg responded, but she wasn’t done.“Why are you being criminally investigated?” she asked, to which Omar said, “I am not.”Steinberg then pressed Omar as to whether or not Tom Homan, who has said otherwise, is a “liar.”“He is, he’s been saying some dumb s**t like you,” Omar said angrily.Gray couldn’t be more impressed with the young reporter.“That’s great,” he says. “That’s not easy to do. That might look easy to do, but it isn’t.”“Straight up,” he adds, “‘Did you marry your brother?’”Want more from Pat Gray?To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is taking action to limit the impact of Muslim immigrants on her country.Italy has taken on millions of immigrants from majority-Muslim countries because of its accessibility to boats carrying migrants across the Mediterranean Sea.'In Italy, no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young woman must hide herself.'On Sunday, Meloni said that the country will ban burqas in schools and also limit the number of foreign students allowed in each class."You must go to ⁠school with your face uncovered, and in Italy, no one, in the name of a real or supposed tradition, can decide that a young woman must hide herself," she said at an annual gathering of the youth in her party."A measure will soon be presented to a Cabinet meeting to legally establish a maximum number of foreign students per class," Meloni added. "It also requires parents of foreign students facing serious difficulties integrating into the school system to learn Italian and bans burqas and niqabs in schools."About 12 in every 100 students in Italy are not citizens, according to one research study cited by NBC News. She argued that foreign students would have a tougher time integrating in schools with too many other foreign students."If there is only ⁠one child in a class who doesn’t understand Italian, that child will likely be able to learn the language and integrate quickly with the help of classmates and teachers," Meloni continued. "However, if the number of children who don’t understand the language becomes large — or even ⁠the majority — that is no longer integration; it is neglect."Meloni was elected four years ago in part by Italians wanting a harder line against illegal immigration, and she has pressed for those policies despite criticism from the left.She did not indicate what the numerical limit of foreign students might be.BlazeTV host Steve Deace responded to the proposed ban in comments to Blaze News."It took a few years, but Meloni is finally living up to all her based rhetoric leading up to her election," he said. RELATED: MASSIVE PROTEST against illegal migrants OVERRUNNING tiny Spanish province: 'Enough, Ceuta won't give up!' CAIR did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.Meloni previously threatened to shut down an immigration agreement with Spain after illegal migrants from Morocco overran the border of the Ceuta province in northern Africa."The images coming from Ceuta are shocking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a real threat to the security of Europe's borders," read a translated post from Meloni on July 30."We will not yield an inch on the issue of illegal immigration," she added.The immigrant population in Italy has skyrocketed from about 423,000 in 1985 to about 5.8 million in 2024.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An interview to mark the start of the NHL season went off the rails when an activist reporter hammered one of the league's greatest players of all time with political questions.Almost two weeks before the games start to count, Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin was talking to the media when an ESPN reporter started pelting him with question regarding a recent political ad he had been a part of.She's 'got an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for abducting Ukrainian children.'Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time goal-scoring leader — yes, he has scored even more goals than Wayne Gretzky — was featured in a pro-Russia ad for President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in the lead-up to the elections last weekend.Although Ovechkin simply stood in the background during the ad, ESPN reporter Robert Klemko — who is half-Ukrainian — went after the hockey player about the details of the filming, asking if he informed his team before the video shoot."No," Ovechkin replied, per Klemko's recollection of the interview.The reporter then told Ovechkin his appearance in the commercial "feels to people like a pro war stance.""I don't think it's a pro war," Ovechkin reportedly replied. "I think it's just support what's happening in Russia. I want the peace and love for everybody. It doesn't matter who you are, American, Russian, or Ukrainian."After Klemko claimed the war would "be done soon" if Putin stops the invasion, he later asked if Ovechkin would support Russia "no matter what."The 41-year-old replied, "Well, I'm gonna live there, yeah."This prompted the ESPN journalist to ask an inflammatory question: "So if they're responsible for a genocide, you would support the genocide?"Ovechkin asked for a translation of "genocide" from a member of his media team, a note corroborated by different outlets. He then replied, "Oh. I would say, like, I'm, I hope it's not gonna, it's not gonna be like that."RELATED: Sophie Cunningham defends Sydney Sweeney — but admits she 'morally' has a problem In a clip from CTV News, Ovechkin told reporters he is going to move back to Russia when he retires from hockey."I'm going to stay there. I'm going to live there. My kids are going to live there."Regarding the political ad, Ovechkin stated that he's "for peace and love" and that he hopes "everything's going to be okay."He revealed when he was asked to do the commercial, he simply replied, "Yes.""So, simple as that," Ovechkin said.Outlet HockeyFeed said Klemko then "pressed" Ovechkin after the group press conference and attempted to tell the player what his involvement in the ad "really signals."Ovechkin continuously gave statements like "I'm not in politics," and "I don't know who that is" in regard to certain people featured in the ad, but Klemko pressed forward and asked the Russian if he felt he was perpetuating propaganda."It mimics messaging Russians get that says Ukraine is responsible for being invaded by Russia," Klemko wrote."I can't say who's right and who's wrong," Ovechkin responded soon thereafter.Klemko said he told Ovechkin that one of the people in the ad is "Maria Lvova Belova," who, he said, "got an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for abducting Ukrainian children."Ovechkin said he didn't know who that person is.RELATED: Charles Barkley defends WNBA, but says 'race' and 'sexuality' are behind Sophie Cunningham clashes Sasha Mordovets/Getty ImagesKlemko's subsequent article for ESPN, published Thursday, cited University of Maryland "senior scholar" Sarah Oates, who directly stated that Russia is "perpetuating a genocide on Ukrainian people.""Putin has said Ukraine and Ukrainians have no right to exist. And this is a key reason for the invasion. Ovechkin supports Putin, he supports the Russian regime, and that means he supports genocide," Oates claimed.After his questions about genocide, Klemko said the media relations team ended his interview with Ovechkin.Capitals general manager Chris Patrick later told ESPN that if Ovechkin had told the franchise about the ad, the organization would have "worked to avoid the situation very hard. And I doubt we'd be standing where we're standing right now if he had run it by us."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!