Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), joined by members of the committee on privacy and consumer protection, authored AB 1116, a bill to protect Californians from television voice-recognition features that surreptitiously record private conversations in the home.

The measure prevents private conversations from being used or sold for advertising purposes, and it awaits the Governor’s signature after receiving unanimous approval from the State Assembly.

The bill will require manufacturers to ensure that users of connected televisions are prominently informed that their voices may be recorded and transmitted back to a manufacturer or third-party provider.

AB 1116 also prohibits manufacturers from using or selling for advertising purposes, any voice recordings collected for the purposes of refining the voice recognition feature of a television. As such, it preserves the ability to control a television with voice commands, or to do a Google search using a television, but prohibits manufacturers from using recorded speech to generate targeted advertisements.

“Smart TVs and voice-recognition technologies are innovative and convenient tools, but giving up our right to privacy in the home because we want to utilize voice-command features to change the channel is simply unacceptable,” Gatto said.

According to a release from Gatto’s office, reports have surfaced that televisions can record and transmit private conversations back to the manufacturer or a third-party without the users’ knowledge.

“It might be a little creepy if the family discussing financial issues finds themselves receiving targeted commercials from bankruptcy attorneys as they watch their favorite show,” Gatto said. “AB 1116 will give the consumer the ability to individually determine the level of privacy protections inside their home.”