LG to Ban Residential Proxies from Smart TV Apps - Krebs on Security

What the report says

KrebsOnSecurity reported that LG Electronics USA plans to suspend smart TV apps that turn customers’ televisions into residential proxy nodes if developers do not remove that capability. LG Senior Vice President John Taylor told the publication that using LG smart TVs for residential proxy networks is not an intended purpose of the devices and that a review of webOS apps is already underway.

The decision follows research from security firm Spur, previously covered by KrebsOnSecurity, that found residential proxy software development kits in a large share of smart TV apps. Spur reported that more than 42% of apps available for LG’s webOS store included components that could route third-party internet traffic through a user’s TV, while more than a quarter of Samsung Tizen apps had similar proxy elements.

Residential proxy companies pay app developers to embed SDKs that allow customers of the proxy network to use household internet connections. Spur said those components appeared in games, screensavers and utilities, and identified Bright Data as a major provider across LG and Samsung apps. Bright Data told KrebsOnSecurity that its system relies on user consent, customer vetting and independent auditing, and said it supports legitimate access to public web data.

The issue matters because smart TVs are often treated as appliances rather than general-purpose computers, making it harder for households to monitor what apps are doing in the background. Spur argued that a one-time permission screen may not provide enough continuing transparency or control, especially on shared devices. KrebsOnSecurity also noted separate recent criticism of LG over software tied to McAfee promotions on some monitors.