LG is facing criticism after users reported that some of its monitors install the LG Monitor App Installer on Windows PCs without a clear consent prompt. The software can then display advertisements, including a pop-up promoting a 30-day trial of McAfee Premium.
Gamers Nexus investigated the reports using an LG 34GX900A-B monitor and said the behavior could be reproduced by connecting the display and turning it on. The team reported that the installer appeared shortly after the monitor drivers were added on multiple Windows 11 machines.
The installer was also reported on monitors that are up to three years old after a recent Windows update. The affected products reportedly include LG’s UltraGear range, including the 39GX950-B OLED monitor.
Once installed, the application reportedly has permission to use system resources and an internet connection. The permissions described in the report also include access to geolocation, device information, online activity, contacts, user credentials, and transaction data. Gamers Nexus said it found no evidence that LG was capturing the pixels displayed on the screen, but raised concerns about the amount of access granted to the software.
The McAfee promotion appears when the computer starts and recommends a free trial of McAfee Premium. That has drawn comparisons with the bloatware found on prebuilt PCs, although the report noted that this case involves a monitor rather than a computer sold with Windows already installed.
The LG Monitor App Installer itself is not new. The recent reports instead suggest that its automatic installation has become more common. Users who own a newer LG monitor can check their installed applications and startup programs for software they did not choose to add, then remove anything they do not want running in the background.
Windows users can also use the Local Group Policy Editor to block automatic application downloads, although that tool is not installed by default on many current Windows systems. Regularly checking recent installations remains the simpler option for spotting unwanted software.
LG has also faced scrutiny over privacy disclosures for its smart TVs. Its user agreement tells customers that they are responsible for obtaining consent from other people whose voices may be captured by a television. That disclosure followed a Texas agreement requiring LG to show users how viewing data would be collected and provide a clear way to opt out, according to the Texas Attorney General’s announcement.
LG had not provided a response to the report at the time of publication.
Gamers Nexus documented the monitor software behavior in its investigation, which is available through the video report.
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