Smart TVs & Connected Devices · Smart TV manufacturer · Regulatory action
TCL (Smart TVs)
Headline
TCL is one of three TV makers still fighting Texas over automated content recognition.
Not independently verified. Verification status: Unverified - heuristic first draft. Publish state: draft unverified.
TCL is one of three TV makers still fighting Texas over automated content recognition. The December 2025 suit alleges TCL TVs captured what was on screen and sent viewing data back for advertising without consent, and Texas stressed that TCL, like Hisense, is China-based. Unlike Samsung and LG, TCL had not settled as of May 2026, and no restraining order against TCL was reported.
- Severity
- Evidence tierUnassigned
- Claims confirmed
- Last verified2026-10-16
Primary source. texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-major-agreement-lg-protect-texans-privacy-and-stop-data-being — Unverified - heuristic first draft.
Terms
Arbitration
Not verified this pass
Data sharing
ALLEGED: ACR viewing-data collection and sale for targeted advertising without consent; potential PRC government access.
Fees and billing
None found this pass.
Contacts
Privacy contact. Not recorded.
Legal notice. Not verified this pass.
Mailing address. Not recorded.
Evidence
No claims have been itemized for this row yet.
Sources
| Source | Claim | Tier | Status | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| News report · 2025-12-17 www.techspot.com/news/110630-texas-sues-five-smart-tv-makers-over-claims.html | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “an uninvited, invisible digital invader” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| News report · 2025-12-17 www.fox4news.com/news/texas-restraining-order-hisense | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “The days of Chinese tech companies spying on Americans' televisions are over,” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| State AG press release · 2026-05-11 texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-major-agreement-lg-protect-texans-privacy-and-stop-data-being | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “Cases against Sony and Hisense and TCL Technology, the latter two of which are based in China, remain ongoing.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Secondary (privacy vendor blog) · 2026-07-31 secureprivacy.ai/blog/samsung-lg-texas-acr-settlements-smart-tv-consent-ctv-publishers | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “Sony, Hisense, and TCL remain in active litigation.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
Source vault
Link status: Candidate - not yet fetched
| Document | Last fetch | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy policy No URL recorded | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Terms of service No URL recorded | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Website https://www.tcl.com/us/en | Not fetched yet | — |
| Primary source https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-major-agreement-lg-protect-texans-privacy-and-stop-data-being Verification: Unverified - heuristic first draft | Not fetched yet | — |
Enforcement
| Action | Amount | Link |
|---|---|---|
| State of Texas v. Samsung, Sony, LG, Hisense, and TCL (smart TV ACR suits) Texas Attorney General, 2025 Petitions announced Dec. 15, 2025; Hisense TRO announced Dec. 17, 2025; Samsung agreement Feb. 26, 2026; LG settlement May 11, 2026. | — | proposed |
Links are proposed matches, not yet reviewed.
State statute
No HQ state on file, so no state statute applies by headquarters.
Related companies
Linked to the same enforcement action
- Hisense · Smart TVs & Connected Devices
- LG Electronics (Smart TVs) · Smart TVs & Connected Devices
- Samsung (Smart TVs / SmartThings) · Smart TVs & Connected Devices