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Why You Should Not Turn On the TV When Checking Into a Hotel — But Unplug It Instead
If you’re like most travelers, checking into a hotel feels like the start of relaxation — toss your bag on the bed, kick off your shoes, and maybe even turn on the TV for some background noise.
Don’t turn on the hotel TV — unplug it instead.
Why? Because in today’s connected world, that innocent-looking flat screen might be doing more than just showing you cable news or hotel ads.
1. 🎥 Some Hotel TVs Have Built-In Cameras and Microphones
Modern “smart TVs” — even in hotels — often come with built-in cameras and microphones for video calls, voice control, or interactive features. In theory, they’re for convenience. But in practice? They can be a privacy nightmare.
The risk:
- Hackers have been known to remotely access smart TVs to spy via the camera or listen through the mic.
- Even if the hotel doesn’t actively use these features, they may not be fully disabled or secured.
Unplugging the TV ensures that any camera or mic inside is fully powered down — not just in “standby mode.”
2. 🔌 Turning It Off Isn’t Enough
Just turning off the TV with the remote doesn’t actually turn it off — it usually just puts it in a low-power standby mode, where background processes (like software updates or connectivity features) are still running.
If there’s a hidden microphone or camera, it can still be active in standby, especially on older or poorly configured devices.
The fix:
Physically unplug the TV from the wall. No power = no surveillance.
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