January 8, 2026
Texas TRO yo-yo
Texas court blocks Samsung from tracking TV viewing, then vacates order
Judge slams Samsung spying, then reverses it—commenters yell politics and pull the plug
TLDR: Texas briefly blocked Samsung’s smart TV tracking, then reversed it the next day. Commenters called it political theater, demanded answers, and preached the “dumb TV” gospel; with a hearing still coming, privacy worries and ad-tracking outrage keep this fight right in your living room.
Texas gave Samsung the old “no spying on my TV” slam… for one day. A judge briefly blocked Samsung’s data-snooping on smart TVs—using “automated content recognition” (ACR, tech that grabs tiny screenshots to learn what you watch for ads)—then yanked the order the next day. Commenters lit up: JadeNB demanded answers on why it vanished, calling the update a mystery. The thread turned into a courtroom soap: “TRO speedrun,” “judge pressed undo,” and plenty of popcorn emojis. Read the update at BleepingComputer.
Politics crashed the party fast. Cornbilly branded it “just political theater” from Texas AG Ken Paxton, while privacy diehards went feral: beloch declared “don’t give your smart TV internet,” dubbing the “dumb TV” lifestyle the new luxury. Others kept hope alive—zaptheimpaler noted a hearing is still scheduled, so the saga isn’t over. The order’s claims—confusing sign-ups, “dark patterns,” and even a line alleging the Chinese government could access data—sparked chaos. And that bit about needing over 200 clicks to read the privacy stuff? Instant meme: “200 clicks to learn, 1 click to consent.” The vibe: frustrated, funny, and deeply suspicious. Whether Samsung’s data-vacuum stays running, the community’s verdict is clear: if your TV watches you, pull the plug
Key Points
- •Texas secured a TRO on January 5, 2026, blocking Samsung from collecting and using ACR data from Texas consumers until January 19.
- •The court cited likely DTPA violations, alleging deceptive ACR enrollment, opaque disclosures, dark patterns, and difficult opt-out, including over 200 clicks to review privacy statements.
- •AG Ken Paxton alleged ACR captures screenshots every 500 milliseconds without informed consent; the TRO also referenced allegations of CCP access to data.
- •The judge vacated the TRO sua sponte the next day; Samsung confirmed the vacatur and said a TRO hearing remains set for Friday, January 9.
- •Texas has also sued Sony, LG, Hisense, and TCL over similar ACR practices and concerns about U.S. data access by China.