Computer monitors were once among the simplest pieces of technology in a home or office. You connected one to a computer, adjusted the display settings, and got on with your work. But as technology becomes more connected and manufacturers continue adding unusual features to everyday devices, even traditional hardware is changing. For example, the Oukitel WP63 smartphone shows how modern devices are increasingly being designed to do far more than their original purpose.
That distinction is beginning to disappear.
As displays become smarter and manufacturers add companion applications, connected features, software tools, and online services, monitors are starting to behave more like smart TVs. That creates new possibilities, but it also raises concerns about advertising, user tracking, privacy, and unwanted software.
The issue has received renewed attention following reports involving certain LG monitors and the LG Monitor App Installer, which was reportedly used to deliver advertisements for software, including McAfee, to computers connected to the displays.
For consumers, the bigger question is not simply whether a monitor can display advertisements. It is whether a device that sits between a user and their computer should be able to install software, access an internet connection, or potentially collect information without making those activities completely clear.
Why Monitors Are Starting to Look More Like Smart TVs
Smart TVs have become increasingly dependent on connected services. Many modern televisions collect information about viewing habits, display recommendations, promote applications, and provide advertising as part of their business models.
For years, computer monitors remained outside that ecosystem.
A monitor was largely considered an output device rather than a connected computing platform. It displayed whatever came from a PC, laptop, or game console without becoming deeply involved in the software environment.
That is changing as monitor manufacturers introduce features that require additional software.
Modern displays can now offer tools for managing multiple screens, switching between connected devices, controlling settings, optimizing gaming performance, and integrating with other products.
Those features can be useful. The problem begins when software associated with a monitor moves beyond providing functionality and starts delivering advertising or interacting with the user’s computer in ways they may not expect.
Consumers may reasonably assume that installing a display driver means they are simply installing what is necessary to make their monitor work properly. They may not expect the same process to introduce software capable of showing advertisements.
That distinction is becoming increasingly important as manufacturers attempt to create recurring revenue from hardware that traditionally generated most of its value at the point of purchase.
The LG Monitor App Installer Controversy
LG has faced criticism over its LG Monitor App Installer, a software component associated with some of its displays.
Reports indicated that since at least 2024, the software had been installed on some connected computers through driver-related updates delivered through Windows Update.
LG has described the application as a way to make monitor-specific software available to customers. In principle, providing utilities for a particular display is not unusual.
The controversy came from how the software was reportedly used. Users encountered advertisements for software associated with LG monitors, including products such as LG Switch and LG Dual Controller. More concerning to some users was the reported appearance of advertisements for McAfee.
The problem is not necessarily that McAfee or other software is advertised. The larger issue is where the advertisement appears and how the software gets there. A customer purchasing a monitor may not expect the monitor manufacturer to introduce an advertising mechanism onto a separate computer.
This raises questions about consent, transparency, and the boundary between hardware support and advertising.
When Helpful Software Becomes Advertising
Manufacturers have a legitimate reason to provide software that improves the functionality of their hardware.
A monitor utility can help users change display settings, configure multiple screens, manage inputs, or access features that are difficult to control through physical buttons. The situation becomes more complicated when the same software becomes an advertising channel.
A manufacturer could argue that recommending related software is useful because the products may genuinely benefit the customer. But relevance does not automatically equal consent. If someone buys an LG monitor, that does not necessarily mean they want advertisements for LG products appearing on their computer.
The distinction is especially important when the software is installed through a process that users may associate with essential drivers or system updates.
The more deeply a manufacturer’s software integrates into a computer, the clearer its permissions, purpose, and privacy practices should be.
Privacy Is the Bigger Concern
Advertising is only one part of the controversy. Privacy and tracking are arguably more important.
Software that runs on a computer can potentially interact with the operating system, connect to the internet, and perform tasks beyond displaying information on a monitor. The Microsoft Store description for LG Monitor App Installer reportedly states that the application can use system resources and access an internet connection.
Those capabilities do not automatically mean that the software is spying on users. An application may legitimately need system resources and network access to download updates or provide connected features.
However, users should be able to understand exactly what information is being collected and why.
Privacy policies are therefore becoming an increasingly important part of the hardware-buying decision. A privacy policy that is difficult to understand leaves consumers uncertain about what happens to their information. The same is true when the policy changes over time as manufacturers introduce new features.
For connected devices, transparency should not be treated as an optional extra.
What LG Says About Data Collection
Following the criticism surrounding the LG Monitor App Installer, attention also turned toward the company’s privacy practices.
The application’s Microsoft Store information states that the app and monitor applications distributed through it do not collect, use, store, or share personal information under the current setup. It also indicates that the privacy notice would be updated if future versions introduced features involving personal information processing. That distinction matters.
A statement that an application does not currently collect personal information does not necessarily guarantee that future versions will operate in exactly the same way. Users should therefore pay attention to software updates and changes to privacy notices, particularly when applications have internet access and can be updated automatically.
This is one reason consumers should not treat a monitor as a completely passive device anymore.
How Monitor Software Can Affect Your Computer
The growing software component of modern monitors creates another issue: device trust. When you install software associated with a monitor, you are not simply changing the display. You may be giving a manufacturer application permission to operate on your computer.
That means users should consider the same questions they would ask before installing any other third-party software.
Who published it?
What does it do?
What permissions does it require?
Does it connect to the internet?
Does it start automatically?
Can it be removed?
Does it provide a function you actually need? These questions are particularly relevant when software is installed automatically or bundled with another update.
A useful monitor application should make its purpose obvious. If users have to investigate why an unexpected application has appeared on their computer, the manufacturer has already created a transparency problem.
The Rise of Connected Hardware
The monitor controversy is part of a much larger trend in consumer electronics. Manufacturers increasingly want their devices to remain connected after purchase. Phones, televisions, headphones, gaming consoles, cars, appliances, and even accessories can now receive software updates and communicate with online services.
The benefits can be significant. Connected products can receive security fixes, add features, improve performance, and work together more effectively. But connectivity also creates new opportunities for advertising and data collection.
The same trend can be seen in smartphones, where consumers are increasingly concerned about privacy and control over their devices. For those interested in alternative approaches to mobile privacy, Motorola’s GrapheneOS phones coming in 2027 explore how privacy-focused software could become a more significant part of the smartphone market.
The broader lesson is that consumers are paying closer attention to what their devices do behind the scenes.
Hardware Is Becoming a Service
There is a growing business argument behind these changes. Selling hardware once meant that the manufacturer earned most of its money when a consumer purchased the product. Connected software creates opportunities for additional revenue through subscriptions, advertising, services, partnerships, and software ecosystems.
Smart TVs provide one of the clearest examples.
The television can be sold at a competitive price while generating additional revenue through advertisements and connected services throughout its lifespan.
Manufacturers of other electronics may be tempted to adopt similar models.
That could eventually mean more advertisements appearing on devices that consumers never expected to be advertising platforms.
The same concern is appearing across the technology industry. Even streaming services have increasingly experimented with different subscription and advertising models. For example, consumers following changes in streaming costs can read about the Apple TV subscription price increase and how changing pricing strategies are affecting subscribers.
The challenge for hardware manufacturers is finding a balance between sustainable business models and respecting the expectations of customers who have already paid for their devices.
What Consumers Can Do
Users do not necessarily need to avoid smart monitors altogether. Instead, it is worth being more selective about the software that comes with them.
Before installing a monitor utility, check what it does and whether it is actually necessary. If your display works properly without additional software, you may not need every optional application offered by the manufacturer.
You can also review installed applications regularly. On Windows, open the list of installed applications and look for unfamiliar software. If an application appeared after a monitor update, investigate its purpose before deciding whether to keep it.
Keep Windows, your browser, security software, and other important applications updated, but do not assume that every bundled application is essential.
Users should also pay attention to unexpected advertisements. An advertisement appearing inside a manufacturer’s application is different from malware, but unexpected advertising can still be a sign that an application is doing more than the user anticipated.
Manufacturers Need to Be More Transparent
The responsibility should not fall entirely on consumers.
Manufacturers need to explain clearly what their software does before it is installed. A monitor driver should not leave users wondering whether they have installed a driver, a companion utility, an advertising platform, or all three.
Installation screens should clearly identify optional software and advertising-related features. Privacy policies should use straightforward language rather than forcing consumers to interpret complicated legal terminology.
Users should also have meaningful control over whether they receive promotional content. If a customer buys a premium monitor, there should be a reasonable expectation that the device will not turn their computer into another advertising surface without clear consent.
Are Monitors Becoming the Next Smart TVs?
The technology industry is increasingly blurring the line between hardware and software. Monitors are becoming more capable, but greater capability also means greater responsibility. A display that can connect to the internet, install applications, communicate with a computer, and provide additional services is no longer simply a screen.
That does not mean every smart monitor is a privacy threat or that manufacturers should stop developing connected features.
The issue is control and transparency. Consumers should know what they are installing, what information is being collected, why an application needs network access, and whether advertisements are part of the experience.
The LG Monitor App Installer controversy serves as a useful warning about what can happen when hardware software crosses that line without making its purpose sufficiently clear.
As more consumer electronics become connected, privacy should remain a central part of product design rather than something users discover only after an unexpected advertisement appears.
For buyers, the message is straightforward: before purchasing a smart monitor, look beyond resolution, refresh rate, HDR, and screen size. Check the software, privacy policy, permissions, update system, and advertising practices too.
The next generation of displays may be smarter than ever, but consumers should not have to give up control of their computers simply to get a better screen.
