2/10/2017 1 Comment The Case of the Spying TV’s! #3An interesting story appeared in the national news this past week, that well-known electronics manufacturer Vizio had been fined by the Federal Trade Commission for collecting and selling data from the consumers who purchased their televisions. This case gathered a great deal of attention since once again privacy rights for consumers has been exposed and challenged. What we have learned is that Vizio has sold more than 11 million TV’s since 2010, and most of the people who purchased these were not made aware that they would need to “opt out” if they chose not to have the company keep track of their viewing habits. This is known as “Smart Interactivity” and Vizio did notify the users that it existed, but it failed to define what it was. Vizio then began collecting data at a rate of 100 billion anonymized viewing data points each day from its TV’s. While they claim that the data collected was done anonymously, there has been no supporting evidence to that effect. It has also been learned that the data collected was shared, and sold by Vizio to other companies, including data partners and advertisers. This is clearly a highly unethical practice for a company such as Vizio, which is the second largest TV brand sold in North America. Those purchasing this type of television should have been made fully aware at the time of purchase that the TV being purchased was in fact “spying” on them, and tracking information on viewing habits, personal information and then selling this information.
In addition to paying a fine, Vizio has also been ordered to delete all data collected before March 1, 2016, and it must now fully disclose and obtain consent from all of its consumers. This is a significant victory for consumers, and it will certainly set a standard for all electronic manufacturers in the future. It is one thing to make a product that the consumer knows and acknowledges is “smart” in the sense that it is actively interacting with data collection and information gathering. But in this case with Vizio it is clear and apparent that the company was deceiving the consumers, and then taking this information to be sold for a profit. It is my opinion that personal information collection and the use of that information is a rapidly increasing practice, and that is must be legally confined to protect consumers. What is happening is that companies that engage in these business practices gather this data, and then use it against the consumer. If through data collection a company realizes that a certain geographic area will pay more for the same product than in another, they can then continue to do so and reap a profit from it. Why should a consumer be charged more, or less for the very same item simply because of their status or location? It is truly unethical and cases like the Vizio one are truly a turning point for consumers and the rights they should possess.
1 Comment
Cammron Keehley
5/23/2017 08:16:38 pm
Luigi,
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