GoKawiil
Tech News
Many users are reporting that their YouTube feed, including grids and video titles, fails to load across Android, iOS, web browsers, smart TVs, and even the YouTube TV app. YouTube has acknowledged the problem in a support forum post and is investigating, while suggesting switching networks or disabling Wi-Fi as a temporary workaround.
A GamersNexus investigation into LG smart TVs found system logs storing sensitive spoken data, including credit card numbers and Social Security numbers, captured during voice search queries. The same testing also suggested the TVs could access webcam and microphone functions while appearing off or disconnected from the network, and that a compromised TV could scan the local network to discover other connected devices.
An investigation by Gamers Nexus, working with Level1Techs and independent security researchers, found that LG OLED TVs including the G5 actively scan home networks to identify phones, smartwatches and other nearby devices, while also capturing microphone audio even when the display appears off. The collected data, including Wi-Fi network names, signal strength and location details, is later uploaded once the TV reconnects to the internet and feeds into LG's advertising arm, LG Ad Solutions.
An investigation into a budget-priced 75-inch LG smart TV found that agreeing to install the display's basic driver software also forces users to accept a bundle of additional bloatware apps they never explicitly consented to. The report argues this practice, combined with built-in microphones and tracking-capable operating systems, effectively turns purchased hardware into a surveillance and advertising platform controlled by the manufacturer rather than the buyer.
Reports found that some LG monitors have been quietly installing an app called LG Monitor App Installer onto connected PCs through Windows Update, disguised as a driver update. That app has been used to surface pop-up ads for third-party software like McAfee, prompting Microsoft to force LG to remove the ads. LG says the installer is meant to enable monitor-specific features, but the covert delivery method has raised alarm.