TCL is a Shenzhen-based, Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed electronics group (TCL Electronics, ticker 01070.HK) whose North American business sells smart TVs (running Roku TV, Google TV or TCL's own Smart TV Experience/TCL Channel software), mobile devices and the TCL Home smart-home app. TCL's own Privacy Notice discloses broad first-party data collection across its device ecosystem — including device identifiers, advertising IDs, precise geolocation, connected-device data from the TCL Home app, and voice data captured when Alexa or Google Assistant is used on its Smart TVs — and it self-declares under state privacy law that it has 'sold or shared' Identifiers and internet-activity data with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising over the past 12 months. In December 2025, the Texas Attorney General sued TCL Technology Group Corporation (along with Sony, Samsung, LG and Hisense) alleging its Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology unlawfully collects and monetizes viewing data; unlike Samsung and LG, which the AG's office says reached agreements, the TCL case was reported as ongoing with no judgment or settlement found in this research. TCL Home's Apple App Store privacy label, self-reported by developer 'Shenzhen TCL New Technology Co.,LTD.', discloses Contact Info, Identifiers and Diagnostics linked to the user's identity for analytics, personalization and app functionality, but does not disclose a cross-app 'used to track you' category.
TRACK RECORD
1 ENFORCEMENT ACTION
[2025-12-15]
The Texas Attorney General's Office states it has filed suit against five major TV manufacturers, including TCL Technology Group Corporation, alleging they have unlawfully collected personal data through Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology that monitors viewing activity and transmits it back to the company without users' knowledge or consent; the office separately states it has reached agreements with Samsung and LG, but no equivalent settlement or judgment against TCL was found in this research.
TCL's Privacy Notice states that its Smart TV products capture data from the Amazon Alexa or Google Action voice assistant function when used on the TV, including a device description, the user's voice, a Skill Token and voice commands, and that this voice data is transferred directly to Google or Amazon for further processing. The same notice separately discloses collection of device identifiers, precise geolocation, and TCL Home/TCL Connect app data used to connect and control a household's TCL devices.
TCL's own global 'About TCL' page lists a news item referring to 'TCL Electronics (01070.HK)' — the Hong Kong Stock Exchange ticker for the TV/electronics-focused public entity within the wider TCL group — confirming TCL's smart-TV business is a listed company subject to HKEX disclosure obligations, distinct from the privately structured TCL Technology parent.
Apple's App Store listing for the TCL Home app independently names its seller/developer as 'Shenzhen TCL New Technology Co.,LTD.,' a Shenzhen-registered TCL group entity, corroborating TCL's China-based corporate base from a source separate from TCL's own marketing pages.
TCL's Privacy Notice's CCPA-style 'Sales & Sharing of Personal Data' disclosure states that over the prior 12 months TCL has sold or shared the categories 'Identifiers' and 'Internet and other electronic network activity information' for commercial purposes, and directs users to its cross-context behavioral advertising opt-out mechanism.
The Texas Attorney General's press release announcing its lawsuit against TCL and four other TV manufacturers states that, via Automatic Content Recognition technology, the companies build viewing profiles and monetize them by selling the resulting consumer information for targeted advertising.
The Texas Attorney General's Office states it has filed suit against five major TV manufacturers, including TCL Technology Group Corporation, alleging they have unlawfully collected personal data through Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology that monitors viewing activity and transmits it back to the company without users' knowledge or consent; the office separately states it has reached agreements with Samsung and LG, but no equivalent settlement or judgment against TCL was found in this research.
Apple's App Store privacy label for the official TCL Home app (self-reported by developer 'Shenzhen TCL New Technology Co.,LTD.') discloses that Contact Info, Diagnostics data and an Identifiers/User ID are collected and linked to the user's identity for Analytics, Product Personalization and App Functionality purposes; the label does not include a separate 'used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies' category.
The same Privacy Notice discloses that TCL, or third-party vendors it works with, may use a device's advertising ID and other Personal Data to serve 'tailored advertising on third party sites,' including behavioral or interest-based advertising inferred from demographic, geographic and browsing-activity data.