Consumer Alert: How to stop your TV from spying on you

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Reminder: Your television may be spying on you.

Last month News10NBC explained Walmart is planning to buy TV-maker Vizio. Now, marketers and ad-buyers across the world are on pins and needles.

So, why would the Walmart-Vizio deal affect advertisers? It’s because your smart TV likely spies on you, and Vizio is a leader in the spy TV market.

In a fascinating story in Friday’s Wall Street Journal writers explain that Vizio has a well-established data-licensing business that allows advertisers to access all the information your TV gathers from spying on you. That includes what you watch, when you watch, and the ads you see.

But when Walmart buys Vizio, it probably won’t renew those contracts because Walmart wants all that data for its own developing ad service.

However, consumers have the power to stop it. For directions on how to stop your tv from collecting your data, click here.