I can't tell what my 2028 model Foo Corp. Smart TV is sending to the HBO servers or why, it's technically impossible thanks to cryptography.
But a Federal Prosecutor can tell a judge these are the only Smart TVs that do that, and he thinks it's because they're violating the Tialaramex No Snooping Act of 2025, so he wants a warrant to see what HBO receives.
The warrant doesn't magically decrypt the packets - but refusing to obey the warrant is contempt of court, for which you can go to jail. An HBO employee shows the Prosecutor their database labelled "snooping" full of data from Foo Corp TVs that sure enough violates the No Snooping Act.
But a Federal Prosecutor can tell a judge these are the only Smart TVs that do that, and he thinks it's because they're violating the Tialaramex No Snooping Act of 2025, so he wants a warrant to see what HBO receives.
The warrant doesn't magically decrypt the packets - but refusing to obey the warrant is contempt of court, for which you can go to jail. An HBO employee shows the Prosecutor their database labelled "snooping" full of data from Foo Corp TVs that sure enough violates the No Snooping Act.