I just finished setting up a custom router with dns ad blocking. Next comes a media player so I can purge this smart TV filth from my household.
Huge shout out to Louis Rossmann and the FUTO communuty contributors, check out the wiki on self-hosted software if you haven’t already.
Return it. If you hold on to it (even if you block the ads and all) it will signal the manufacturer, that this practice is fine.
And then buy a non-smart TV instead. At least one company, Sceptre, still makes them. (I don’t want to make it seem like I’m shilling for a particular brand, but I genuinely don’t know of any other options, aside from commercial signage displays.)
Sounds like they might have the capability to just network block the device from their router too. At least that’s what I do, just in case someone tries to use it.