They call it TV Block.
July 11th this year saw a bunch of Samsung smart televisions stolen from a distribution center in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This was not a big problem for the company, though. Because those televisions were rendered useless by the company with their baked-in blocking technology. And as it turns out, Samsung can do this with pretty much all of their internet-connectable lineup from anywhere in the world.
But don’t take my word for it; they have an entire newsroom post about the incident, as well as the technology, deemed TV Block:
Samsung South Africa has announced the implementation of a Television Block Function on all Samsung TV sets. The blocking system is intended to be implemented in respect of televisions that have been obtained by users through unlawful means and in some cases, stolen from the Samsung warehouses. TV Block is a security solution that detects if Samsung TV units have been unlawfully activated, and ensures that the television sets can only be used by the rightful owners with a valid proof of purchase. The aim of the technology is to mitigate against the creation of secondary markets linked to the sale of illegal goods, both in South Africa and beyond its borders. This technology is already pre-loaded on all Samsung TV products.
Here’s how it works: when a television, or other internet-capable product, is stolen, its serial number is logged. If the the stolen television is then later connected to the internet (as you would with a smart TV), it runs by a Samsung server checking its validity first. And if its flagged as having been stolen, the system shuts down all of the device’s features.
In keeping with our values to leverage the power of technology to resolve societal challenges, we will continuously develop and expand strategic products in our consumer electronics division with defence-grade security, purpose-built, with innovative and intuitive business tools designed for a new world. This technology can have a positive impact at this time, and will also be of use to both the industry and customers in the future.
Mike Van Lier, Director of Consumer Electronics at Samsung South Africa
As an organisation we acknowledge the critical role in giving our customers and client the peace of mind. Working together, we can overcome the impact of the unprecedented disruption to business, as experienced by many of us recently. We will continue to review the situation and will make adjustments as necessary to ensure business continuity for all
Granted, this still seems a bit disconcerting if you’re an end-user, even though they’re playing it up as a positive. Imagine if the company gets hacked for whatever reason, with said servers in the crosshairs. Aside from being a massive inconvenience to users, it would put considerable pressure on Samsung. Granted, if a device is wrongly flagged, the company does have a way of reinstating it; it’s not permanently bricked.
Samsung Television Block will disable all these televisions’ functions. Should a customer’s TV be incorrectly blocked, the functionality can be reinstated once proof of purchase and a valid TV license is shared to [email protected] or click here for more information
Still, there’s one obvious weak point in this strategy; it requires the device to be connected to the internet. Simply using a separate device to handle those functions hypothetically renders it a bit moot. Then again, it does the same to the whole point of having a smart TV in the first place.
Source: PC Mag
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