What is TIFA or PSID on Samsung TV?

PSID is the personal identification that’s created when you first turn on your TV.

PSID is a personal identification number for your TV to display ads. TIFA has replaced PSID for Samsung TVs after 2019. This number is a one-way, hashed, anonymized, randomized, and resettable ID. It is generated when you turn on your TV for the first time or after a reboot.

Understanding TIFA/PSID: What It Is and Its Importance?

Previously known as PSID, TIFA is a unique code created by Samsung to enhance the privacy of your Smart TV. It’s a unique code you can change and only used to identify your TV. Samsung uses TIFA/PSID to track your preferences when you watch movies, search the web, or browse the Internet. It is designed to personalize your preferences and deliver the most relevant ads in the form of ads or recommended movies.

Differences between TIFA and PSID

In newer Samsung TVs (released after 2019), they’ve swapped out the PSID, which used to be a personal ID for displaying ads, with something called TIFA. TIFA is a special ID created when you first turn on the TV or restart it.

As advertising becomes more common on streaming platforms and Smart TV services, TIFA was developed to improve your privacy while using a Smart TV. When it comes to security, one key difference between TIFA and PSID is that TIFA is a hashed version of your PSID. This means that TIFA offers an extra layer of protection, making it more secure.

How does TIFA/PSID work?

If you allow Samsung to show ads based on interests, the operating system generates a TIFA/PSID; this number will be transmitted to Samsung’s servers. This number will be used to analyze your advertising activity. You will be shown personalized ads. For example, if you watch the trailer of a new sci-fi movie, you will be shown ads for new sci-fi movies and shows. The good news is that you can always turn off personalized ads.

If you don’t want to receive personalized ads, you can always turn off personal data collection in the settings and reset your ID.

How to reset TIFA/PSID on Samsung TV

You can easily reset this code by changing your PSID or by resetting your Samsung Smart TV in the “Settings” area. You can also choose to stop getting personalized ads. TIFA is only used for showing ads and doesn’t link to your personal information.

While Samsung has transitioned to TIFA instead of PSID, you may still encounter the name PSID in Samsung TV settings. The reason for this remains unclear to me. To reset TIFA/PSID, you need to:

• Press the Home button on the remote control, and then select Settings, and select All settings
• Go to General & Privacy and then select Terms & Privacy.

• Now click on Reset PSID.

• Сonfirm by pressing Reset.

What happens when you reset the PSID

When you select and activate the PSID reset function, the ID will be deleted from the Samsung server’s memory. All previously collected information about your viewing preferences will be deleted.

Is it possible to collect confidential information using PSID

According to the information provided by Samsung ( link), PSID is an anonymous identifier; Samsung does not track your exact location or collect sensitive information. As I said before, you can turn off data collection for your preferences and reset the PSID.