I know Smart TV privacy concerns are a big conversation here, largely because there’s practically no good way to jailbreak a Smart TV, but I wanted to ask about a specific use case.
How much better is it to disable all network connectivity on a smart tv (running Roku as its core OS) and hook an Apple TV box up to it?
More or less, I suppose what I’m asking is whether or not using an Apple TV is as private as it can get with easy-to-use streaming devices?
I’m sorry I can’t speak for Apple TV, but I do know Roku. I captured about a month of DNS with a Roku device on the network. It phones home about everything. Even better, they hardcoded the DNS server on the device to prevent tampering with ads in their menus. I had to set up a redirect to quarantine it before eventually taking it off the network completely.
Last I recall, the most private method for general streaming was a cheap Android device from Walmart with a custom OS installed on it.
Beware I have heard that the latest revision of the Onn 4k box locks down the bootloader and prevents people from doing this as they found out and obviously wanted that data. Specifically I believe only models from before 2024 (should be model number that indicates this) still work with this.
cheap Android device from Walmart with a custom OS
they had a pile of these on closeout last time i wandered through electronics, ima have to make a trip tomorrow to see exactly what they are. from venturing over to the xda forums, it would appear that i’m looking for the 2021 or 2023 models? i don’t have pocket internet, so i’ve got to jot down a few notes of what to look for.
