Lawsuit Alleges Hisense Smart TVs Collect and Share Viewing Data

A class action lawsuit alleges that Hisense smart televisions capture viewing data and may transmit it to Chinese entities subject to government data requests. Attorneys from the firm Peiffer Wolf filed the complaint in the U.S. Northern District of California on May 12.

The suit names Hisense USA, described as the U.S. operating arm of Hisense Group Holdings, a Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer. The complaint states that automated content recognition technology embedded in the devices records sound and images as often as every 500 milliseconds.

It further alleges that the data is distributed to Hisense's Chinese parents and affiliates, which are subject to Chinese law requiring them to share information with the government on demand.

Plaintiffs claim the tracking violates their privacy rights and seek an injunction to stop the collection and sharing of viewing history. They also request monetary and punitive damages. Brandon Wise, an attorney at Peiffer Wolf, said the complaint alleges that the televisions function as in-home surveillance devices by linking viewing data to household and device identifiers and distributing it through advertising and data-broker networks.

Wise added that the data may be transferred to or accessed by entities subject to Chinese law. He stated the firm intends to litigate the case to stop the practices and obtain relief for consumers. Hisense Group Holdings is a state-owned enterprise of the Chinese government.

The company did not respond to a request for comment. This is not the first lawsuit against Hisense over automated content recognition technology. In December 2025, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Hisense and four other television manufacturers for similar data collection practices.