Redditor "Mags_Smash" recently complained about seeing McAfee pop-up ads on his PC despite never having installed the antivirus suite. He ev
Redditor "Mags_Smash" recently complained about seeing McAfee pop-up ads on his PC despite never having installed the antivirus suite. He eventually traced the ads back to another app that his new LG monitor had installed without his knowledge. After connecting one LG UltraGear 27GP83B monitor and two 27GN800s, Mags_Smash found that at least one of the panels had installed an "LG Monitor App Installer" via the Microsoft Store and Windows Update.
LG monitors are now installing unwanted ad-driven software via Microsoft Store & Microsoft Update. Basically, Windows auto-recognizes the new device then 'helpfully' installs drivers to make the thing work.
But the manufacturer is building ads into their stuff, which Microsoft blindly passes along. I bet if you read the LG TOS you "agree" to this behavior when you buy the monitor.
Note that it's not the monitor phoning home, it's a byproduct of how Windows self-updates its drivers. The monitor itself has no wifi or internet connection. There is nothing to block. It's also not Microsoft explicitly being dicks, as they're simply installing the manufacturer's recommended software.
