In January, a temporary restraining order obtained by Texas to stop Samsung from covertly collecting data on what people are watching on its smart TVs lasted only one day. Then the issuing court vacated its own TRO, apparently deciding that it was premature (Bleeping Computer, January 8, 2026).
Like other major TV manufacturers, Samsung employs automated content recognition technology to capture periodic screenshots, analyze viewing activity, and identify users’ content preferences. The data is used for more targeted advertising.
Texas also filed lawsuits against Sony, LG, and China-based companies Hisense and TCL Technology Group Corporation last month [December 2025], over unlawful use of ACR technology and concerns [about] US user data being accessed by China.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claims that ACR is used to capture screenshots every 500 milliseconds without consumers’ knowledge or consent.
The District Court of Collin County in Texas ruled that this activity violates the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and ordered Samsung Electronics America Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd to stop using, selling, collecting, and transferring data from Texas-based TVs until January 19.
Signed on January 5th at 10:10 AM, the TRO document lists several justifications for the decision to issue a temporary restraining order, including Samsung’s deceptive ACR enrollment practices and the allegation “that the Chinese Communist Party has access to the information.”
According to another report, when issuing the restraining order the judge had noted that if and when viewers realize what is happening, they cannot even fully opt out: users can only “ ‘limit’ the use of their data rather than stop collection entirely. The ruling described this approach as relying on ‘dark patterns’ where the users are nudged toward consent while making it difficult to fully understand or opt out of data collection….
“The lawsuit against Samsung is part of a broader push by the Texas Attorney General’s Office, which has also filed lawsuits against Sony, LG, TCL, and Hisense over similar ACR-based data collection practices. Texas has additionally raised national security concerns involving China-based companies, arguing about potential access to US consumer data under China’s national security laws.”
In December 2025, in response to the state’s lawsuit, a Texas court had issued a temporary restraining order against Hisense, a Chinese maker of smart televisions. Of the five TV companies sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in December, one other, TCL Technology Group, is also based in China.
At the time, Paxton said that the TRO against Hisense was “a major victory for privacy rights and the movement to stop Big Tech companies from secretly watching Texans.” But most of the litigation seems to still be pending.
Also see:
TexasAttorneyGeneral.gov: “Ken Paxton Warns Texans About CCP-Aligned Smart TVs that are Spying on Them”
