VIEWING DATA SUPPLEMENT TO THE PRIVACY POLICY

Viewing Data -- Overview

Like many internet-connected TVs, VIZIO Smart TVs or other display units are equipped with technology, such as Automated Content Recognition or “ACR”, that can (when enabled) use video and audio data to recognize what is playing on the device and send information back to VIZIO about what is showing.”

  • At any time, you may change your Viewing Data settings within the Settings menu of your VIZIO Smart TV or display. Turning it off will not affect the performance of your VIZIO Smart TV or display or any online services.
  • Prior to collecting Viewing Data, each unit will receive (i) a notification, explaining the nature and purpose of the feature, separate and apart from this Privacy Policy and (ii) an opportunity to choose whether to turn on Viewing Data. 
  • Viewing Data will only be collected from units that choose to ““ACCEPT”“ to collection and use of Viewing Data. Thereafter, at that time, and any time after, you will have the option to change the setting for the Viewing Data collection off or on. Disabling Viewing Data will not, however, affect or limit Activity Data collection through the SmartCast Product. Please review the Privacy Policy for further information.

This Privacy Policy may be modified from time to time as new features and functionality become available.

What is Viewing Data?

For VIZIO devices that have agreed to Viewing Data collection, VIZIO will use technology such as ACR to collect information about the audio and video programming content playing on the display unit, including audio and video programming, advertisements, other commercially available content (including volume, channel information, picture controls, and inputs), and other information, (like when the device is off/on or if the content was viewed live or at a later time). VIZIO will also collect the identity of an Over the Top (OTT) device and third-party services or applications, such as streaming service providers (including stream and launch events for movies, TV shows, episodes and channels) that you connect to. Video and audio data collection and analysis using ACR and other technologies is referred to as ““Viewing Data.”“

Viewing Data is associated with the IP address for the unit and a unique device number we assign. In addition, VIZIO will combine and associate your Viewing Data with VIZIO accounts.

The Viewing Data technology also periodically collects other information about the TV or display, including IP address and the media access control (““MAC”“) addresses of available access points.

At any time, you may turn Viewing Data on or off from the Settings menu of your VIZIO Smart TV or display. Turning it off will not affect the performance of your VIZIO Smart TV or display or any online services. For specific instructions on how to turn off or on the collection of Viewing Data, see the text below under the heading ““How you can control the collection of Viewing Data.”“

How Is Viewing Data Used and Shared?

VIZIO associates Viewing Data with other data about the performance, settings, or features of a particular Smart TV. Our authorized cloud service providers may store this data solely on our behalf and for no other purposes.

We may share Viewing Data with vendors, consultants and service providers who work on our behalf and make our business-to-business activities in digital advertising possible.

In addition, we also license Viewing Data to advertisers, ad agencies, analytics companies, media companies, and other ad technology companies who measure ad effectiveness or aid with the personalization of ads.

When VIZIO licenses Viewing Data to these external data partners, VIZIO prohibits them from combining or associating the Viewing Data with any information that would result in the Viewing Data becoming identifiable to individual persons, unless those data partners have received separate permissions from users (such as when users sign up with partners for audience surveys). Viewing Data is used for the purposes listed below:

  • Summary Analytics and Reports. VIZIO’s select data partners may analyze Viewing Data in order to create summary reports and analysis to help deliver relevant information and advertising to interested groups of customers. These summary reports are built from automated analysis of data elements, without connecting the information to any known natural person.  For example, a data partner who is an advertiser may want to measure the effectiveness of their promotions, in the aggregate.  Thus, the  data partner may identify another device that shares an IP address with the VIZIO Smart TV or display and analyze: (a) whether a particular website was viewed or commercial location was visited by a device with location tracking enabled (e.g., a smartphone) after a related promotion was viewed, and (b) whether a particular program was viewed following exposure to a promotion for that program.  In addition, some data partners are authorized to use a third-party data aggregator to identify demographic traits (such as gender, age range, income range) associated with the IP addresses that VIZIO collects, and the data aggregator may provide partners the demographic information associated with those IP addresses.
  • Audience Measurement. VIZIO and these select data partners also use Viewing Data to understand what customers watch in order to deliver more relevant content and advertising, for example, by determining which programs are most popular, how many people watch a program to its conclusion, and whether and how often people are watching commercials. VIZIO and these select data partners may also combine Viewing Data with other demographic and similar information, including by working with data aggregators.
  • Tailored Advertisements. VIZIO also licenses Viewing Data to select data partners for the purpose of targeting advertising to other digital devices that share the IP address of VIZIO Smart TVs, based on viewing history collected from that TV. VIZIO or its data partners are sometimes authorized to enhance Viewing Data with household demographic data and data about digital actions (e.g. digital purchases, location, and other consumer behavior taken by devices associated with the IP Address we collect), for the purpose of delivering advertising that are likely to be useful or timely, including during broadcast, cable, satellite, or internet based television programming.

VIZIO may combine information about you collected by VIZIO (including Activity Data, Viewing Data, or Mobile App Data) with other information that you provide to VIZIO (such as your email address or your VIZIO Account information) in order to provide you with a more personalized experience on your Smart TV, your VIZIO Mobile App, or other display. For example, VIZIO may use this information to market VIZIO’s products and services and recommend content. VIZIO may also use this information to improve or modify its goods and services to better meet VIZIO’s customers’ needs.

VIZIO may also match your data with VIZIO’s partners’ data to help market VIZIO’s products or services to you and or to provide advertising tailored to your individual interests based on your viewing history or how you browse and shop online.  

 

REMINDER: You always have the option to manage the collection and future use of Viewing Data in your TV or display’s Settings menu. However, for a period of time you may continue to see tailored ads on other devices that were targeted on the basis of Viewing Data that was shared before you turned off collection. Disabling the Viewing Data feature in the Settings Menu will not, however, affect or limit Activity Data collection through SmartCast Products, which is used to personalize and recommend content within the SmartCast Product or SmartCast Mobile App. If you intend to sell or otherwise give away your VIZIO Smart TV or display, you should perform a  “factory reset.”  

How Does VIZIO Protect Viewing Data?

VIZIO uses reasonable and appropriate measures to protect information within VIZIO’s organization.  Unfortunately, no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.  To help protect your information, we recommend consumers follow best practices for internet activities, including proactive password management and router security protocols.

How Can I Turn Off or On the Viewing Data Feature?

At any time, you may turn Viewing Data  off or on directly from the menu of your VIZIO Smart TV or display. Turning Viewing Data off will not affect the performance of your Smart TV but will trigger the deletion of historical logs of Viewing Data for the Smart TV from VIZIO’s database

For textual as well as graphical instructions on how to turn Viewing Data  off or on, visit http://www.vizio.com/viewingdata. If you are unable to locate the Viewing Data setting on your VIZIO Smart TV or display, contact VIZIO customer service by emailing privacy@vizio.com or calling (855) 472-8817. Please note that if your TV or display is ever reset to factory settings, the device will return to its default settings, and Viewing Data will be reset to the ““OFF”“ position. You may again turn the feature on by following the procedure described above.

Turning Viewing Data collection off or on will affect only the TV or display where you have made that selection. When you turn off collection of Viewing Data (if it was previously turned on), logs of Viewing Data will be deleted from our database. However, even if it is turned off, VIZIO may still collect other information when you separately provide such information to VIZIO, such as when you submit a support request or participate in a promotion, and VIZIO may still collect information from other sources as described in the VIZIO Privacy Policy.