TCL 32S325 32 Inch 720p Roku Smart LED TV (2019)

>Yes, all proprietary software vendors are stereotypical mustache twirling villains.

I didn't say they were all evil or malicious. I said there is an asymmetric power relationship. This is true whether or not you trust the vendor. You might! But it's good to be aware of it nonetheless, and to think about:

- How much do you trust them?

- Are they incentivized to keep your data safe and private?

- Do you think you'll still be able to trust them 5 years from now?

To varying degrees, the platform owner has a significant say over your use of the platform. It's more pronounced the more locked-down the platform is, but for example: if Apple doesn't want you to run some software on iOS, it's going to be very difficult for you to run that software. If Microsoft decides to push an update to Windows that adds more intrusive telemetry, you have little choice; Windows is going to force an update and you're going to get that telemetry whether you like it or not.

>Also I don't need open source software to see that vendors have tracking code.

You don't necessarily, but it's a hell of a lot easier to tell if you can see the source code.

>You think they are going to swap out the code on their TV even if it was a choice? That's delusional. It would be far easier for them to just plug in an Apple TV if privacy is a top concern - but sadly for most people privacy isn't a concern.

Just looked up the current top-selling TVs on Amazon, this one[0] is currently #1, selling for $130. Adding an Apple TV to the mix ($150 for the base model) would more than double that cost. You, me, and probably most people on this site can easily afford that - but for a lot of people that's a more difficult choice.

Yes, I absolutely believe that some people would replace applications on their TVs with alternatives with less surveillance - possibly many people, if the process were easy.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/TCL-32S325-Inch-720p-Smart/dp/B07G9XZ...