A tech journalist who has apparently been living under a rock - or, more accurately, behind a very secure router - has triumphantly announced that using a VPN on your smart TV is actually a good idea. The revelation comes after years of what the journalist describes as a 'hardline' stance against internet-enabled appliances, including a firm belief that refrigerators should not be posting to social media and that ovens should not require Alexa integration to bake a cake.
While many new smart TVs and internet-connected appliances offer some level of data protection - through dedicated chipsets or integrated malware detection - these measures are described as 'at best weak and at worst outright ineffective.' The journalist suggests that a VPN, whether paid or free, can encrypt streaming, web browsing, and download data from end-to-end, making it difficult for hackers to access your activity and personal data. Unless, of course, they have 'very sophisticated software and eternal patience,' which, let's be honest, most hackers probably do.
A VPN also helps close potential gaps that bad actors may exploit, particularly if your TV has Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) turned on. The VPN masks your TV's real IP address and encrypts its traffic, preventing your internet service provider from seeing exactly what you're streaming. On a more fun note, a VPN can open up a whole new world of streaming options by letting you access content not available in your home country - just click a button to set your virtual location to just about anywhere in the world and trick streaming services into showing you movies and shows that are otherwise unavailable.
Installing the VPN on your router allows you to protect multiple devices with a few clicks in the control app. Many VPN services allow you to protect up to 10 devices simultaneously, providing 24/7 whole-home cyber protection. However, the journalist warns against free VPN services, which might still keep logs of your online activity that could potentially be leaked in a company data breach. The process for setting up a VPN on your smart TV is virtually identical across all brands and operating systems: since most new TVs can't support a VPN app on their own, you'll have to install your chosen VPN service through your router.
In conclusion, your smart TV is just as prone to security risks as your smartphone or computer, so it never hurts to keep your activity protected with a VPN. The best part is that you can set up a VPN on virtually any smart TV, since the installation occurs at the router level. And you'll see benefits to your content consumption too, as VPNs allow you to browse streaming service catalogs from other countries - because nothing says 'cyber protection' like tricking Netflix into thinking you're in Canada.