Opt‑outs Are Fake Compliance

A major empirical test of smart TVs shows that advertised privacy opt‑outs often do not stop vendors from sending content‑correlated data. Some devices continued transmitting to identifiable endpoints (one case: Vizio to an Amazon Kinesis endpoint) in every opted‑out trial, and other platforms sent ACR data unencrypted, meaning the opt‑out is functionally meaningless for many users. — If privacy settings are routinely ineffective, regulators, procurement officers, and consumers need new standards (auditable telemetry, mandatory independent testing, and enforceable provenance) rather than relying on vendor promises.