How to prevent your streaming device from tracking your viewing habits (and why it makes a difference)

Whenever I hear about consumer data tracking, my half-century-old brain dredges up that Hall and Oates hit called “Private Eyes” with the refrain “they’re watching you.” 

I don’t mean to incite Big Brother paranoia; I know I’m not being spied on everywhere I go, especially not in the seclusion of my home. But while using streaming devices, you can almost guarantee that your entertainment and advertisement preferences are being tracked.

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The culprit is better known as Big Data — arguably less invasive and sinister, but still annoying to some people — and there are ways to mitigate that on your streaming devices if you’re one of them.

While some data collection is necessary for basic functionality, many streaming devices collect more than required; so much so that you essentially lose control of your privacy, fall into filter bubbles (viewing algorithms that are more narrow), and receive more targeted ads than expected. 

Below are some general strategies for regaining control over your privacy while using streaming services. 

1. Check your privacy settings

Most streaming devices have privacy settings that allow you to control what data is collected and shared. Take the time to explore these settings and disable any tracking features that you’re not comfortable with.

2. Limit ad tracking

Many streaming platforms allow you to limit ad tracking or opt out of personalized ads. This not only reduces the amount of data collected about your viewing habits, it also limits targeted advertising.

3. Use a VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) can encrypt your internet traffic and mask your IP address, making it more difficult for streaming services and advertisers to track your activity.

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4. Be mindful of voice commands

Pretty much every streaming device has voice control capabilities, so you should be aware that your voice commands may be recorded and stored. Consider disabling voice control or just use it sparingly.

5. Disconnect when not in use

If you’re really concerned about tracking, consider disconnecting your streaming device from the internet when you’re not using it. This will prevent it from collecting data in the background.

Beyond that, here are device-specific steps you can take for some of the most popular streaming services.

Apple TV

Apple’s privacy policy states that the company collects information from your Apple ID, including what content you’re playing, when you played it, the device you played it from, and where you paused or stopped watching (so you can resume play on another device). Additionally, the company charts a detailed history of all playback activity for Apple TV channels and Apple TV Plus. 

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While Apple admits to sharing information with partner companies, it’s one of the few services that asks for your permission before allowing apps to track your activity. You can disable that for each app by choosing “No” when the prompt appears.

Apple also provides various privacy settings to help manage how your data is used and shared. To adjust them:

1. Use your Apple remote control to find Settings in the app.
2. Under the General tab, scroll down to Privacy. 
3. Click on Tracking and turn Allow Apps to Ask to Track on.
4. Now, backtrack to the Privacy menu. 
5. Here, you’ll find Analytics and Improvements, where you can turn both Share Apple TV Analytics and Improve Siri and Dictation off.

The above steps will limit data collection, effectively blinding Apple to your preferences and viewing habits.

Google Chromecast

Google has a comprehensive privacy policy that encompasses its vast array of products and services. The tech giant garners extensive user data while you’re logged in, including search history, location, and online activity. It then leverages this data to power its highly profitable advertising business based on user interests and demographics. 

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As with all platforms, Google’s overt objective is to personalize user experiences, such as by recommending YouTube videos relevant to your preferences (because Google owns YouTube). Despite this, the company claims the Google Chromecast does not perform automatic content recognition (ACR) while users are viewing streaming content.

No less, you can mitigate your concern about Google’s practice of Big Data tracking while watching Google TV. Just follow these steps.

1. Navigate to Settings and select the Privacy section.
2. Within Privacy, you can adjust settings for Location, Google Assistant, and Payment and Purchases. Here, you can also control App Permissions, Special App Access, and Security and Restrictions.
3. Be sure to turn off Usage and Diagnostics to stop sending diagnostic data to Google.
4. Finally, select Ads and then Opt Out of Ads Personalization to prevent personalized ad profiles.

For extra data monitoring protection, you can go to myactivity.google.com to deactivate web and app activity, timeline, YouTube history, and other data-gathering functions. 

Roku Streaming Stick

According to its policy, Roku collects much information from its streaming devices. Your search history, search results, audio information from voice features, accessed channels (including usage statistics such as time and duration), content and advertisement interactions, and specific settings and preferences are exempted from privacy restrictions unless you demand otherwise. And, yes, Roku shares data with advertisers.

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To restrict or prevent some of Roku’s tracking, follow these steps.

1. From the main Roku menu, open Settings.
2. Go to Privacy.
3. In Advertising, check the Limit Ad Tracking box. Note that this will not stop other platforms (like Prime, Max, or others) from collecting your usage data or passing that info along to advertisers.
4. Now go to Microphone > Channel Microphone Access and then select Never Allow to block all channels from recording your spoken words.
5. Finally, find Smart TV Experience to select ACR and uncheck Use Info from TV Inputs.

Roku confesses to collecting everything from demographic info (e.g., your birthday and street address) to information about your stored photos and videos. It primarily uses ACR to do this, and while you can turn ACR off, the Roku Stick may still collect and share data about the apps or other streaming services you use. 

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon Fire TV devices collect data on how often and how long customers use apps on Fire TV, your device’s language selection, your TV’s display size, and some connectivity options — doing so to improve its service and devices. 

It also gathers data on customers’ use of Amazon devices and their features, like home screen navigation and device settings choices. But it explicitly does not collect information on what customers watch within third-party apps on Fire TV.

Follow these steps to quell the amount of data Fire TV collects. 

1. Go to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings.
2. Select Device Usage Data and turn this setting off.
3. Likewise, turn off Collect App Usage Data.
4. Now turn off the setting called Interest-based Ads. 

Your Amazon Fire TV device will still show ads, but it will no longer be able to track your data for marketing, view how often and how long you use downloaded apps, or give you targeted advertising.

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Streaming devices continue to gain popularity as home entertainment enhancements because they are affordable and offer quick access to a smorgasbord of streaming services, like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and countless others. These gadgets undoubtedly provide convenience and entertainment. At the same time, they raise concerns about privacy and security for many people.

I should note that streaming devices are just one of many commonly used electronics that collect personal usage data. Your smart TV and smartphone are also in on the act. If you’re serious about your privacy, you must take a comprehensive approach and limit data collection across all your devices.

Why do streaming devices collect my data?

In our era of digital streaming and smart TVs, convenience often comes at the cost of privacy. Your streaming device — whether it’s an Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, Chromecast, or another platform — is programmed by default to collect and share your viewing habits, search queries, and possibly other personal data. This built-in feature enables companies to target you with specific ads, personalize your content recommendations, or even sell your information to third parties.