I haven't but that's probably because I don't use it to do anything that would require that. Like. Everything (switching inputs, volume etc) is handled by my receiver. The devices that are hooked up to the receiver all have their settings on device.

It may also depend on what firmware your TV came with and what model you have?

Sorry I can't be more help.

Source on this?

You're going to need to provide some evidence for such a claim. That doesn't even sound legal.

Interesting. But my house basically is a faraday cage. I have no signal outside it from my wifi or any of the others because of the way they were constructed. I have to have wifi repeaters indoors and a mobile repeater setup to get cell coverage inside.

So I guess I'm lucky in that respect.

But all in all this is good information for people to know including me. Thanks for that.

Source? Never heard of that ever.

Was just going to post this as well.

Agreed. I tried looking for a big monitor instead of a TV last time we were in the market for one and there were shockingly few options.

You can already do that. Just skip the WiFi step in the setup then plug your own box into the HDMI port.

Google TV, WebOS and Tizen models let you do this, only Roku and Fire TV don't AFAIK.

The problem is you can just buy the $1000 TV you actually want and a $50 Android TV box to get the best of both worlds.

Now if only there was better competition on that Steaming box front.

There is a market, but it's to small for companies to care about

It is a fantasy because unfortunately it's not a large enough market for any company to care about.

What an age we live in!

Any proof of this. First I've heard about it.

Exactly. Desoldering the wifi antennas is about the best you can do.

Any TV nowadays is a smart TV, dumb TV are not longer exist since several years, but I don't think that the TV can connect to the Neighbours WiFi (so smart to crack the passcode, normally long as my arm, my router even with an inbuild Firewall, well....), and even if it is the case, they log the activity of the neighbours WiFi, not mine. There isn't any network activity in my TV, apart watching 99% Public TV which don't have ads in most EU countries (because of this, movies in EU public TV are country restricted, I can watch these only in the PC, visiting their homepage using an Proxy with an server of the corresponding country).

I would guess theres a way to create a VLAN that blocks internet access but allows local traffic. Though you would need more advanced networking equipment and knowhow to do it.

Or put Moonlight on a Raspberry Pi and hook it up to your TV for 1440p/144hz or 4K/60hz with significantly less latency. Plus you won't require an app on the TV

What do you do with all that time you save?

I don't see how that's much of a hassle. Also a lot of the time I'll just open up all lackscreen.com and leave that open if I am walking away only for a bit

The retail industry generally uses NEC/Sharp and similar displays, but they are expensive as they are metal-cased and built to run reliably all day every day.

E.G. https://sharp.ca/en/product/business-displays-pnm502/

I imagine the price of such a TV would be quite high, since the manufacturer would need to make up for the revenue lost from not having spyware.

I’m in a similar boat, our next TV will be a commercial display if I’m not confident that we can successfully air-gap the TV.

Something like this, ideally: https://www.lg.com/au/business/information-display/oled-digital-signage/oled-pro-monitor/65ep5g-b/

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/the-ars-technica-guide-to-dumb-tvs/

tl;dr- don't connect the tv to a network, get an apple tv

Digital signage displays are purpose-built for displaying corporate messages, often for all or most hours of the day. They typically have features that people don’t need for TV watching, such as content management software. And due to their durability and warranty needs, digital signage displays are often more expensive than similarly specced computer monitors.
Again, it’s important to ensure that the digital signage is HDCP 2.2-compliant if you plan to watch 4K or HDR.
But if you happen to come across a digital signage display that’s the right size and the right price, is there any real reason why you shouldn’t use it as a TV? I asked Panasonic, which makes digital signage. A spokesperson from Panasonic Connect North America told me that digital signage displays are made to be on for 16 to 24 hours per day and with high brightness levels to accommodate “retail and public environments.”
The spokesperson added:
Their rugged construction and heat management systems make them ideal for demanding commercial use, but these same features can result in higher energy consumption, louder operation, and limited compatibility with home entertainment systems.
Panasonic’s representative also pointed out that real TVs offer consumer-friendly features for watching TV, like “home-optimized picture tuning, simplified audio integration, and user-friendly menu interfaces.”
If you’re fine with these caveats, though, and digital signage is your easiest option, there isn’t anything stopping you from using one to avoid smart TVs.

Unfortunately, many have already gone "smart" in some capacity - which for me means doing anything I have not expressly allowed it to do. A relatively harmless example is my monitor sometimes deciding it needs to do "OLED protect" - and I cannot stop it from doing that sometimes. At least the idea behind that behaviour is legit (preventing burn-ins) - but ignoring the user's wishes absolutely not. A clanker that is my property will never get to tell me what it wants to do.

I read something about these TVs even being able to send data using other same branded devices in its vicinity.

So basically, never buy another LG TV.