Can I return a smart TV for ‘spying’ on me?

QI’ve serious privacy concerns with the apps that come with a Polaroid smart TV I bought for £300 from Asda. Unless I accept that using the apps will expose virtually my whole digitall life to the manufacturer, I can’t use all the features. Asda has refused to let me return it because it’s not faulty. Can it do this?

Paul Smith mith

AYes, Asda can refuse to accept the TV because it’s not inherently faulty. Despite Paul’s concerns, he isn’t owed a refund.

When we explained this to Paul, he acknowledged that he was very happy withth the quality of the TV, but said he felt the need to “vent” about how much personal information would be collected by the apps.

He told us: “I understand if they want to see what programmes I watch, but I’m not happy about other personal data that can be collected and wonder if this is something that should be opened for debate”.

It’s actually been a source of debate for some years now. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) investigated complaints about LG’S smart TVS snooping in 2013 ( www.snipca.com/29242). Since then, reports have warned people they could be targeted by malware through TVS, or even be monitored by the CIA ( www.snipca.com/29243). While it’s unlikely government spies will care what you’re up to, it’s unsettling not knowing what kind of information apps can collect.

One solution is to tighten your TV’S privacy options, usually found in the main Settings menu. However, this often cuts the TV’S internet connectivity, which disables a lot of the functionality of a smart TV. CASE CLOSED