So what happens if you just don't plug in the network cable or setup WiFi? How does it gather anything?
How can we make the wifi module inside the TV unusable?
I mean something that connects to that WiFi and smothers it with so much data that no other device can get a word in edgewise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_...
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_...
there are 87 million broadband subscriptions (likely shared) vs 117 million households. So thats at least 30 million permanently un-TVed households. Which would probably be good for the nation.
My mother in law got a smart TV about three years ago. No internet access for her. At the time I couldn't figure it out, but it makes more sense now.
One interesting problem is there are a lot of TV models out there and none of the software will ever be upgraded in practice, its like Android phones, its unlikely it'll ever be upgraded from what it shipped with. Its likely the "smart" features of her TV are already unusable due to API changes over the years.