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Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90040]

Sun, 07 April 2019 11:27

Augustus
Messages: 47
Registered: April 2019

Baron

My $1,000 plus Sony television is bombarding me with adds, no matter what I try. I tell you all the price of the T.V., because when I asked about the ads, I was told that ads, sponsored content, and other forms of monetization partnerships are how Sony keeps their prices low. Seriously! I'm not an audio/video expert, but I am fairly tech savvy. However, every solution I've applied eventually fails as the ads keep randomly coming back. I've rolled back the updates and turned off auto-updates, but the ads still come back. It's behaving just like malware and apparently, our corporate gods designed it that way. Do you know if there's any way to install an ad blocker, or some sort of privacy protection on these televisions?

I paid for my T.V. outright and I just want this to stop. Everything runs slower, thanks to the ads, and sometimes my T.V. freezes and has to be restarted. I spent lots of time configuring this television exactly how I wanted it when I first set it up. To have that undone, because a company decided they want more money, is infuriating!

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Re: Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90048 is a reply to message #90040]

Mon, 08 April 2019 09:43

Rusty
Messages: 1206
Registered: May 2018
Location: Kansas City Missouri

Illuminati (3rd Degree)

If that's what enables a TV to be smart. I want no part. Mine is pre-smart LCD. This ad B.S. bombards the internet. And our smart phones are hijacked by unwanted, irritating robo-call and telemarketing. Makes you want to go back to a simpler life. I've known for awhile now why my old man use to say that he'd like to move to a cave in Arkansas. Greater technology carries with it about as many problems with it as it eliminates. But we know why. The almighty dollar.

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Re: Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90085 is a reply to message #90048]

Wed, 10 April 2019 15:55

Madison
Messages: 338
Registered: June 2017

Grand Master

I don't think there's an ad blocker in the traditional sense, but I wonder if something like Pi-hole might work? I've checked around and you're supposed to be able to fix things by setting up a restricted profile and add the apps and channels you want. Hopefully that fixes things for now. It's a shame that this is happening to you. I've experienced problems with my smart television from Vizio so I understand your outrage.

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Re: Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90100 is a reply to message #90085]

Thu, 11 April 2019 23:12

Augustus
Messages: 47
Registered: April 2019

Baron

I'm extremely aggravated at the situation and no matter what, I'm done with this television and will think twice before buying another Sony T.V. which is a shame.
I've been weighing my options between dragging my very old television up from the basement and trying to attach an antenna or something to make it accept digital signals or setting up a large computer as my television and watching cable online through Comcast Xfinity. Netflix would be simple to access too.

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Re: Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90104 is a reply to message #90100]

Fri, 12 April 2019 09:56

Rusty
Messages: 1206
Registered: May 2018
Location: Kansas City Missouri

Illuminati (3rd Degree)

I don't know if this is of any help, or if you've tried. https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smart-tv-snooping-features/
But this is an absolute crock of Kaka. Sorry you've been hijacked by this unscrupulous form of personal snooping. Deregulation is seen as a way to unleash the power of business efficiency. At the expense of consumer privacy and satisfaction. Legislation, as usual, is way behind the benefit of the public. They think anything good for corporate welfare will somehow make our lives better and better, all the time.

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Re: Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90108 is a reply to message #90040]

Sat, 13 April 2019 01:57

mamoss
Messages: 185
Registered: May 2016

Master

I am yet to get a Smart TV but now I don't think I am eager to get one since I really detest those ads. Deregulation has made it so easy for companies to collect data and use this in any way they deem fit. I don't think there is anything left for the consumer to cling onto.

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Re: Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90111 is a reply to message #90104]

Sat, 13 April 2019 15:03

Augustus
Messages: 47
Registered: April 2019

Baron

Rusty wrote on Fri, 12 April 2019 09:56

I don't know if this is of any help, or if you've tried. https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smart-tv-snooping-features/

Hey man, I appreciate that you're trying to help. I'm pretty tech savvy, so here's the thing, as soon as I got my television going the first thing I did was turn off all the tracking and snooping features. I read my manuals and agreements carefully and I did everything I could to kick corporate out of my television. It didn't matter!

I was wrong in how I thought this tech operated. I thought that by turning off all those features, that I was literally stopping any type of privacy invasion. I assumed that changing the options actually changed the code since it's a smart television. In reality, as a consumer I have little control over the device I paid for. Any changes I make are merely treated as a suggestion. It doesn't change the code and whatever corporation gets involved can hijack my television to make more money. Even if they're punished down the road it seems that they'll make enough money off the data that the inevitable class action lawsuit and fine is worth it to them.

Sorry for the wall of text.

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Re: Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90118 is a reply to message #90111]

Sun, 14 April 2019 09:26

Rusty
Messages: 1206
Registered: May 2018
Location: Kansas City Missouri

Illuminati (3rd Degree)

You have every right to be mad as hell. I'm sorry you have to be the patsy for us to learn not to buy one of these sets. Unknowing what lurked within despite the glorious promise of enhanced viewing pleasure. This is a sobering example of where our brave new world is heading. All the various types of techno crap that is hooked into the web is a potential for hijacking. I think my pappy was ahead of his time. A cave in Arkansas sounds refreshing.

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Re: Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90126 is a reply to message #90040]

Sat, 20 April 2019 02:13

Newjack
Messages: 62
Registered: December 2018

Viscount

Hmm, I really had no idea that Smart TVs bombarded their users with ads. I had a Smart TV way back in 2012 or so and I don't recall any ads, but times have changed so much since then. I can't look at any website without an ad for a related product to the exact site I was just on, popping up on some application on my phone (even if I visited the site on my computer. It's all connected.)It's infuriating and I'm always looking for ways to cut down the amount of tracking. I turn all the permission to "NO" and untick all the boxes that give permissions, but yet, it still happens anyways.

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Re: Ad blocker for smart T.V.? [message #90306 is a reply to message #90126]

Sun, 12 May 2019 19:44

Augustus
Messages: 47
Registered: April 2019

Baron

Newjack, there were no ads on it originally or I would have returned it to the store and gotten my money back. What happens is that these televisions work kind of like computers in that you always have to update them to protect from cyber attacks. That's also how you access additional features that might come along and ads weren't marketed as features - at least not to me. Well, these firmware updates are where they get you! One minute everything is fine, the next minute, here come the ads. It would be like Apple and Microsoft forcing computer owners to view ads each time they ran an update.

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