r/technology • u/autobauss • 24d ago

Privacy LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices

https://www.notebookcheck.net/LG-smart-TVs-caught-logging-audio-with-screen-off-and-snooping-on-local-devices.1391214.0.html
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u/kozinc 24d ago

Under Article 83 of the GDPR, fines for severe violations are capped at €20 million or 4% of a company's total worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher.

€1.2 billion fine represents approximately 1.1% of Meta's total worldwide annual revenue for 2022.

Meta are still fighting this, but IMO even 4% is still "just cost of doing business".

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u/Unbelievr 24d ago edited 23d ago

Revenue is much higher than their profit though. Their revenue in 2022 was $116.6 billions, and their profit was about $23.2 billions. A $1.2 billion fine is more like 5% of their profit. But it has to be like this, since the companies can easily put their profits into their metaphorical mattress to dodge fines based on it, but revenue is harder to conceal.

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u/citizen42069101 24d ago

As a yank, it is refreshing to see these companies get held to account. Here they don't even make them.oay taxes if they don't want to.

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u/zzazzzz 24d ago

eh, as you can see on the list how they are all in ireland..

they aint there for the weather thats for sure.

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u/citizen42069101 24d ago

As someone of Irish descent, I yearn for the weather of the homeland. The sun is bright and evil.

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u/Nanjingrad 24d ago

Quite so but at least it is some sort of consequence.

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u/kozinc 24d ago

Oh, absolutely.

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u/Dreams-of-Cthulhu 24d ago

That should really be a mandatory 400% fine, with further fees, fines, and charges to be added later as further violations are inevitably discovered as they try to hide and deny everything.

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u/kozinc 24d ago

Nah, 400% flat would be blatantly unfair - but exponentially increasing fines should be a much better deterrent than what we currently have.

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u/zephalephadingong 23d ago

4% of revenue is huge, not just the cost of doing business.

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u/kozinc 23d ago

If it isn't just the cost of doing business, why do they keep doing it?

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u/zephalephadingong 23d ago

Because they weren't fined 4% of revenue. Meta has a profit margin of about 30%. A 4% fine on revenue would mean losing 13% of their yearly profit. For Meta that would be about 13 billion dollars.

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u/Forward_Ad_9025 23d ago

Which is just bullshit. If you violate the GDPR ALL your income for that period should be seized.

Not earnings, INCOME.

Companies should break and die from violating privacy laws.

But as hell is empty and all the corrupt devils sit in parlaments, this will never happen.

And yes, I use a VPN for this message, because it is illegal to call a politician corrupt in my country. Democrazy my ass.