LG to Ban Residential Proxies from Smart TV Apps

Krebs on Security reports that LG Electronics is cracking down on smart TV apps that secretly turn your device into a residential proxy node—a setup that lets app developers monetize by routing other people's internet traffic through your TV without meaningful consent. Researchers recently discovered that more than forty-two percent of apps on LG's webOS store contained such proxy software kits, often buried in games and utilities with only one-time approval prompts. LG executives say the company is now requiring developers to remove these components, and will suspend any apps that don't comply. The prevalence of these proxy networks reveals how consumer devices—televisions, monitors, even refrigerators—have become targets for covert monetization that users can't easily audit or control.

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