VIZIO to Pay $2.2 Million to FTC

It would not surprise me if this company was backed by Chinese interests all
along for this very reason. Because of their incredible corporate
espionage, the more U.S. companies they establish or buyout, the more
footholds they have in the U.S. to do these kinds of things.

"Vizio, Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers and sellers of
internet-connected "smart" televisions, has agreed to pay $2.2 million to
settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission and the Office of the New
Jersey Attorney General that it installed software on its TVs to collect
viewing data on 11 million consumer TVs without consumers' knowledge or
consent. […]

According to the agencies' complaint, starting in February 2014, Vizio,
Inc. and an affiliated company have manufactured Vizio smart TVs that
capture second-by-second information about video displayed on the smart TV,
including video from consumer cable, broadband, set-top box, DVD,
over-the-air broadcasts, and streaming devices.

To note, very important, from Wikipedia: " The company was founded in 2002
as V Inc. by William Wang (Chinese: 王蔚; pinyin: Wáng Wèi), Laynie
Newsome, and Ken Lowe with $600,000 and three employees." And "In July 2016,
Vizio announced that it would be acquired by Chinese technology company
LeEco."

Read more:
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/02/vizio-pay-22-million-
ftc-state-new-jersey-settle-charges-it