LG bans residential proxy apps after 42% of webOS apps found mining data
LG cracks down after security firm finds 42% of smart TV apps turn devices into proxy nodes without consent.
LG Electronics USA has announced it will suspend any apps built for its webOS smart TV platform that turn televisions into always-on residential proxy nodes. The move comes less than a month after security firm Spur published research finding that more than 42 percent of games and other apps available for download on LG’s webOS store allow unknown third-parties to route their Internet traffic through a user’s TV. Spur also found that over a quarter of apps for Samsung’s Tizen OS contained similar residential proxy SDKs.
LG Senior Vice President John Taylor told KrebsOnSecurity that the company is working with developers to remove the proxy option, and apps that fail to comply will be suspended. The residential proxy network Bright Data accounted for a majority of the SDKs across both platforms. Spur argues the problem is lack of transparency—a one-time consent prompt buried in a TV app is not meaningful, especially when minors may be using the device. LG also recently faced criticism for bundling McAfee antivirus promotions through monitor drivers via Windows Update.
- Spur found >42% of LG webOS apps and >25% of Samsung Tizen apps contain residential proxy SDKs that route third-party traffic through users' devices.
- Bright Data is the largest proxy provider in these apps; LG will suspend non-compliant apps if developers don't remove the proxy option.
- LG also recently faced backlash for installing McAfee promotions via Windows Update on its LCD monitors, raising further privacy concerns.
Why It Matters
Smart TVs quietly became proxy nodes; LG's ban sets a privacy-first precedent for the smart TV ecosystem.