A security researcher who goes by log4j on X says a Samsung TV is collecting far more about its owner than most people would expect. Tom's Hardware reported the claims on October 25, 2026. Everything below is what the researcher says. It has not been independently confirmed.

What the researcher says

On October 21, log4j posted that the ads on their 2025 Samsung TV felt oddly targeted. They say they used previously unknown security flaws, called zero-days, to get full control of the TV. Then they dug into Tizen, the software Samsung TVs run.

According to log4j, the code collects detailed data to target ads. They say it includes logging network traffic, sorting audio into categories, taking screenshots and using an ad ID that follows you across devices.

log4j also says they found an AI model that tracks what you watch, which ads you skip and how far you get through videos. They say the model differs by region.

The researcher claims TVs without a microphone look for connected devices that have one, like a soundbar or a Bluetooth gadget, to record audio. They also believe all this processing may be why Samsung TVs feel slow. That part is their theory.

One outside test, on a modified TV

A Hugging Face engineer who goes by ngxson tested the microphone claim with a Flipper Zero gadget. Tom's Hardware says the TV turned its microphone on for exactly five seconds, then stopped. Hours later, it had not turned on again.

ngxson pointed out that their own TV was already rooted, meaning modified, and had many settings turned off. A normal TV may behave differently.

The OpenAI ban

Tom's Hardware says log4j used OpenAI tools in the project, and OpenAI later banned their account for "cyber abuse," according to an email the researcher received. log4j says they never used the tools to find or exploit security flaws, only to study the TV's code, and that they did not break OpenAI's terms. They think an automated filter flagged them by mistake.

What's next

log4j says they are working on a full write-up, including how others could repeat the work. Tom's Hardware's report does not include a comment from Samsung. We could not find a public response from Samsung to these specific claims as of October 25.

Source: Tom's Hardware