介绍:
Families are being warned that modern televisions are recording their conversations and could transmit the messages to "third parties".
Many of the latest sets have microphones so viewers can change channel, turn on a DVD or browse the internet by speaking at the screen or remote.
But the small print of the privacy policies for these so-called Smart TVs contain warnings that general conversations are also being recorded.
The technology works by converting words into text commands. If these are simple, such as for changing a channel, they do not need to be sent over the internet. But for more complex requests, such as finding the details of a film on Google, the information is transmitted online to a separate company.
Television companies advise users who are concerned to avoid discussing "personal" matters in their livings rooms.
The practice led customers on social media to draw comparisons to George Orwell's 1984.
