LG Electronics USA has announced plans to remove smart TV applications from its webOS platform that incorporate residential proxy software development kits (SDKs). The company stated that any developers failing to comply with this directive will have their apps suspended. This decision follows research published on July 2, 2026, by the security firm Spur, which identified a significant prevalence of such SDKs in smart TV applications.
Spur's research indicated that over 42% of apps available for LG smart TVs contained SDKs that convert the television into a residential proxy node. The study also found that more than a quarter of apps designed for Samsung's Tizen operating system included similar components.
John Taylor, Senior Vice President at LG, confirmed that the company is actively collaborating with app developers to eliminate the residential proxy functionality from their webOS applications. He emphasized that the use of residential proxy networks is not an intended function for LG smart TVs. Taylor further stated that LG is committed to preventing these networks from being integrated into its smart TV apps in the future and that a review of existing applications is currently underway. The company plans to enhance its evaluation process for developer-submitted apps, including those that might incorporate residential proxy SDKs, as part of ongoing efforts to improve platform quality and user experience.
Residential proxy providers compensate app developers to include SDKs that transform a user's device into a proxy node, which is then rented to paying customers. Spur's report found these SDKs embedded in a variety of LG and Samsung smart TV apps, ranging from simple games like Pac-Man to screensavers and file utilities. For instance, a Pac-Man app from Bright Data offered users the choice between viewing advertisements or allowing their TV to serve as a residential proxy node.
Bright Data was identified by Spur as accounting for the majority of proxy SDKs across both Samsung and LG smart TVs. While proxy providers like Bright Data claim to implement rigorous "know-your-customer" processes to validate legitimate uses, often tied to content-scraping activities, and to incorporate technological safeguards to prevent customers from controlling other devices on the proxy user's local network, Spur argues that the core issue is the widespread embedding of these SDKs in devices that consumers do not typically perceive as computers and are not equipped to audit.
Spur's Trevor Sutter highlighted that a one-time consent prompt within a TV app is insufficient for meaningful transparency, ongoing control, and platform oversight. Sutter also noted the amplified risk when consent is provided by household members, such as minors, who may not be authorized to do so.
This move by LG to address residential proxy SDKs comes after the company recently faced scrutiny regarding another partnership. Earlier in July, it was reported that certain LG LCD monitors automatically install an application promoting paid McAfee antivirus subscriptions via Windows Update, without requiring user approval.
