It's the same way in the US. That's why they were saying to just buy any TV (which will almost certainly be a smart TV), then just treat it like a dumb TV by not connecting it to the internet.
I was able to disable a bunch of stuff on my LG so I never actually see the WebOS interface anymore.
I would disconnect the WiFi antenna as well and hope it doesn’t connect to nearby WebOS TVs via Bluetooth to pass telemetry so that the other TV uploads it to their mothership.