Your smart TV is spying on you and is reporting back

I got an older TV; the picture is still decent. It's a plasma TV so it's a little outdated and not very energy efficient. There's been a lot of talk about smart TV's and my TV is not that smart, which apparently is a good thing because your new smart TVs are spying on you. (Yes, it's true.) 

Your new smart TV has a microphone, it's listening to you. It also has a camera, so it's watching you. I don't really want my smart TV to see me sitting on the couch in my underwear while I'm watching Matlock. (I don't really watch Matlock, but you get the idea.) 

According to msn.com,
‘The most popular smart TVs sold today use automatic content recognition (ACR), a kind of ad surveillance technology that collects data on everything you view and sends it to a proprietary database to identify what you're watching and serve you highly targeted ads. The software is largely hidden from view, and it's complicated to opt out. Many consumers aren't aware of ACR, let alone that it's active on their shiny new TVs.‘ 

ACR basically identifies everything you watch on your TV. It takes little snapshots, 7200 of them a day to see what's on your screen, and that includes network TV shows, if you're on a cable network or satellite, if you're playing back stuff off of your DVR, you play video games, it knows about all of that stuff and it reports back. This allows them to sell that information to third parties and that way they can target specific advertising to you and what you like to watch. 

If you don't have a smart TV but you're using Roku, you have the same situation. Each different brand of new TV product has a different way to turn off these settings and liberate you from your ACR. It's very involved and there's a lot of information so suggest that you click on the link below and it'll all be there waiting for you.
Your smart TV is tracking you—here's how to disable it

So, what about that camera on your TV? Well, that one's easy. Just stick a “post it” over it or I prefer electrician's tape and then you're settled. Then it's OK.
You don't have to worry about anyone seeing your, “Jelly Roll.”
New TVs come pre-loaded with spyware called 'ACR'. Here's how to find and disable it