What would you give up for an absolutely free, fully-loaded, state-of-the-art television? That's the question being posed by Telly, a company founded by Pluto TV co-founder Ilya Pozin. Telly offers customers a massive, 55-inch 4K HDR panel delivered to their home at zero cost. It sounds like a tech utopia: free content, whenever you want it, all thanks to the modern digital age.
The catch, however, is a steep price paid in privacy and attention.
The Cost of "Free"
Telly fully monetizes its device through constant advertising. To facilitate this, the primary display is paired with a secondary, smaller screen located beneath it. This second screen displays useful widgets - like sports scores, weather forecasts, and news headlines - interspersed with partner advertisements.
Crucially, these ads cannot be disabled. They are an inherent, inescapable part of the device.
Furthermore, the ads continue to run and annoyingly draw power even when the main television screen is turned off. While constant, persistent advertising is irritating, it's something many users might endure for a free device.
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The Privacy Nightmare
The real issue lies in Telly's blatant disregard for user privacy. The television is equipped with a webcam that the company can use to determine how you watch TV, how you react to content, and how often you have guests over. All of this data, according to Telly, is necessary to provide users with "genuinely useful" advertising messages.
But few are willing to consent to analysts monitoring them 24/7 just to push the next consumer product. One early user reportedly developed paranoia after just three months of living with this digital "Big Brother" in their home.
The device records everything regardless of the user's consent, and users cannot simply cover the webcam. Attempting to obscure the camera is considered a "violation of the user agreement" and will prompt a demand to return the unit to the manufacturer. Worse yet, damaging the television can result in a $500 penalty fee.
This is a vivid illustration of the digital age's version of "free cheese." The question remains: Is the ability to stream free shows worth the cost of your personal life and privacy?
