New Report Exposes Widespread Viewer Surveillance In Streaming Television

A new report from the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) reveals that the Connected TV (CTV) streaming industry in the United States has established a vast surveillance system that transforms televisions into sophisticated monitoring devices.

The report, titled How TV Watches Us: Commercial Surveillance in the Streaming Era, details how CTV companies harvest extensive viewer data to deliver targeted advertising, often without proper consumer consent.

The CDD report outlines alarming trends in CTV operations, showing that major streaming platforms, device manufacturers, and data brokers are creating comprehensive digital profiles on viewers. This data includes identity information, viewing habits, purchasing behaviors, and a myriad of other online and offline activities.

Popular Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channels like Tubi and Pluto TV are particularly highlighted as key players in monetizing viewer data through advanced marketing techniques.

Notable industry giants such as Comcast, Disney, Amazon, and Roku have implemented cutting-edge advertising technologies capable of delivering ads to households in mere milliseconds.

These methods include virtual product placement, and the use of generative AI to produce customized advertisements tailored to individual preferences.

The report stresses that surveillance mechanisms are built directly into smart TVs, with Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) and other monitoring software capturing highly granular data on viewers.

“The transformation of television in the digital era has taken place over the last several years largely under the radar of policymakers and the public, even as concerns about internet privacy and social media have received extensive media coverage,” the report explains.

“The U.S. CTV streaming business has deliberately incorporated many of the data-surveillance marketing practices that have long undermined privacy and consumer protection in the ‘older’ online world of social media, search engines, mobile phones and video services such as YouTube.”

“CTV has become a privacy nightmare for viewers,” explained report co-author Jeff Chester, who is the executive director of CDD.

“It is now a core asset for the vast system of digital surveillance that shapes most of our online experiences. Not only does CTV operate in ways that are unfair to consumers, it is also putting them and their families at risk as it gathers and uses sensitive data about health, children, race and political interests,” Chester noted.

“Regulation is urgently needed to protect the public from constantly expanding and unfair data collection and marketing practices,” he added, “as well as to ensure a competitive, diverse and equitable marketplace for programmers.”

As political ads are expected to proliferate this election year, CDD warns that these surveillance practices could allow for covert, personalized political campaigns that exacerbate polarization in the United States. Chester emphasizes the urgent need for regulatory action to protect consumer privacy and ensure a fair marketplace.

The CDD is urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and California regulators to investigate these practices and implement robust regulations. The report’s authors call for a policy framework that prioritizes consumer rights, promotes civic engagement, and fosters diverse creative expression within the television industry.

In the wake of these revelations, Chester and Dr. Kathryn C. Montgomery, report co-author, emphasize that policymakers must address these issues to ensure that digital technologies serve democratic values and protect citizens from intrusive surveillance.

The CDD is taking steps to bring these concerns to the forefront by submitting letters to key regulatory bodies, highlighting the need for immediate action in an era where privacy and consumer protection are increasingly at risk.