Investigation

What we are doing

Participants run controlled experiments on smart TVs to detect and characterize observable evidence of ACR activity. "Observable" is deliberately broad: it includes anything a participant can measure or see, such as:

  • Network traffic the TV generates (destinations contacted, timing, volume, payload characteristics).

  • UI behavior and on-screen content, such as recommendations, ads, or text that shifts in response to what was watched.

  • Any other observable signal correlated with content being played (device state, logs, timing patterns, and so on).

Participants are encouraged to pull on any loose threads they find, and explore other hidden surveillance that might be embedded in the way the TV operates.

Guiding Questions

Which observable behaviors indicate that ACR is active, and how can they be distinguished from ordinary TV operation?

1

What user activity triggers ACR, and how does the response change with the type of content or input source?

2

What information does ACR appear to collect or transmit, and to whom?

3

How consistent and reproducible is this behavior across content, apps, and input sources?

4

What else can we learn about hidden surveillance in smart TVs?

5

Example interactions to test

The kinds of user interactions participants might experiment with in order to investigate ACR include, for example:

  • Launching and using a specific streaming app (for example, Netflix or YouTube) and playing content within it.

  • Streaming specific content through a specific input, such as an HDMI-connected device, a game console, or a USB drive.

  • Watching live broadcast or antenna/over-the-air TV versus app-based streaming.

  • Repeating the same content across different apps or input sources to compare the resulting behavior.

Other areas of exploration might include comparing official teardowns to see how they compare with official documentation, analyzing firmware to uncover strange activity, or other experience that might be proposed during the hackathon. Participants are encouraged to explore any interesting ideas that align with the mission of the hackathon.