Outted by NetFlix

[Cyia]

http://www.switched.com/2009/12/19/can-your-netflix-queue-reveal-sexual-orientation/?icid=main|main|dl3|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.switche d.com%2F2009%2F12%2F19%2Fcan-your-netflix-queue-reveal-sexual-orientation%2F


480,000 members of NetFlix had their private info shared as part of a company sponsored contest to improve their movie recommendation service improved. In doing so, a few things that were supposed to remain private (like lifestyles inferred through viewing choices) became public access to those participating in the constest.

Though user data had been anonymized through a common method called perturbation (http://theory.stanford.edu/%7Enmishra/cs369-2004.html), that didn't stop two savvy University of Texas researchers from figuring out the real identities, political leanings, and even sexual orientation of several Netflix users, by cross-referencing data given by the company to reviews posted on IMDB (http://www.switched.com/search/?q=imdb&invocationType=wl-switched).

Their access to the information has perturbed at least one subscriber:

a closeted lesbian mother going by the pseudonym "Jane Doe" filed a lawsuit yesterday against the rental giant, claiming it had, among other things, broken a federal privacy law protecting citizens' video rental information. According to the complaint filing, "were her sexual orientation public knowledge, it would negatively affect her ability to pursue her livelihood and support her family and would hinder her and her children's ability to live peaceful lives."

Her complaint has shut down the contest's 2nd phase (at least for now).

which would provide even more information about customers, like ZIP codes, ages, and gender. If that comes to pass, Wired remarks that it's 87-percent possible to take someone's age, tastes, and ZIP code and hunt them down on the Internet. With these tangible, real-world (and identifiable values), Netflix is breaching user privacy (especially if those accounts opt to be hidden).

That's a serious concern for more than legal ramifications. Sure, there's not really such a thing as privacy, but if people enter into an agreement with the understanding that their information won't be handed over to an outside party, then the company shouldn't be handing it out for contests.

[dclary]

http://www.switched.com/2009/12/19/can-your-netflix-queue-reveal-sexual-orientation/?icid=main|main|dl3|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.switche d.com%2F2009%2F12%2F19%2Fcan-your-netflix-queue-reveal-sexual-orientation%2F


480,000 members of NetFlix had their private info shared as part of a company sponsored contest to improve their movie recommendation service improved. In doing so, a few things that were supposed to remain private (like lifestyles inferred through viewing choices) became public access to those participating in the constest.



Their access to the information has perturbed at least one subscriber:



Her complaint has shut down the contest's 2nd phase (at least for now).



That's a serious concern for more than legal ramifications. Sure, there's not really such a thing as privacy, but if people enter into an agreement with the understanding that their information won't be handed over to an outside party, then the company shouldn't be handing it out for contests.

I would imagine the small print for entering the contest indicated specifically that netflix would be using a third party and certain data would be shared, and entering the contest was acceptance of this fact.

But yeah, nice job securing that data guys. Sheesh.

[Shadow_Ferret]

Wow. Good thing I canceled that 1-1/2 years ago!

[dclary]

It reminds me of this commentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7TRrVKIOnI

[Shadow_Ferret]

It reminds me of this commentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7TRrVKIOnI

Gah! He spits at 1:57!

[Celia Cyanide]

I would imagine the small print for entering the contest indicated specifically that netflix would be using a third party and certain data would be shared, and entering the contest was acceptance of this fact.

Shared is one thing, but made public?

When I worked at the video store, we had to be careful to throw away those little slips, because it was a legal issue. And she's right, you would not believe how much you know about someone by the movies they rent. I didn't even pay attention to most of the customers, and yet I knew a lot about them. I knew which ones were openly gay and which ones were in the closet, I knew who was a porn addict, I knew who had kids, and I even knew who had OCD.

In fact, there was a kid who worked there who also worked at a grocery store in the neighbor hood, and he quit because he said it was too much information. He said, "I know what these people eat, when they get sick, and when the women get their periods, I couldn't take anymore."

[Cyia]

And you're not talking about the information OF the participants being made public. It's the information provided TO the participants about the general subscribers to NetFlix.

[backslashbaby]

This sort of thing is really freaking me out lately. It started with Facebook, finding out what movies friends of mine had rented (real-timeish) and suggesting I rent it. Maybe the friends signed up for it to tell me that -- I hope so! But I don't want everyone to know everything I do; I'm not ashamed by any of it, but it's still freaky.

Plus I've had stalkers. It's crazy trying to keep your real name and address away from the public, and that pi$$es me off. One of the guys, I only briefly introduced myself but made the mistake of telling him my name :( Oh, it got crazy...

[dclary]

Shared is one thing, but made public?

When I worked at the video store, we had to be careful to throw away those little slips, because it was a legal issue. And she's right, you would not believe how much you know about someone by the movies they rent. I didn't even pay attention to most of the customers, and yet I knew a lot about them. I knew which ones were openly gay and which ones were in the closet, I knew who was a porn addict, I knew who had kids, and I even knew who had OCD.

In fact, there was a kid who worked there who also worked at a grocery store in the neighbor hood, and he quit because he said it was too much information. He said, "I know what these people eat, when they get sick, and when the women get their periods, I couldn't take anymore."

I rented highlander 27 times from the same video store (true story!) -- I wonder what that says about me?

[Zoombie]

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

Also, this is creepy. Why did it have to happen the same time my parents and my bffs got Netflixs?

[jvc]

I rented highlander 27 times from the same video store (true story!) -- I wonder what that says about me?
That you're not smart enough to buy a copy ;)

[whistlelock]

You know, this just confirms to me that there is no such thing as a secret.

You may think you're in the closet about whatever, but if more than you knows about it then it's not really a secret.

[Shadow_Ferret]

...you would not believe how much you know about someone by the movies they rent. ..

I wonder what they can tell from the movies I rent? They can't even give me interesting suggestions on Movies-They-THink-I'll-Enjoy. I'd say, 95% of the movies they think I'll like, I hate.

About all they can tell from me is I'm eclectic.

[Jstwatchin]

Now this entire issue rests on the assumption we answer all our viewing polls truthfully and only rent movies we personally chose to watch in our free time.

To me those polls are often merely there to be played with. In a fit of boredom (mixed in with some defiance) I have rated entire pages of their suggestions with the same rating, irrespective of my actual opinion of the movie or whether I had actually seen it. And I know I'm not the only one.

Additionally, not all the movies we get from Netflix are seen by the same person in this family, nor are all our selections just for entertainment. Some are for research, some are for audition prep, some are for ... and some downloads we've only watched the first few minutes of before realizing it wasn't what we needed at the time - and that was in no way a reflection of our opinion of the movie.

Keeping in mind all of the above, how can any data collected from me by Netflix be reflective of any of my personal tastes, opinions or much else for that matter?

[Celia Cyanide]

Keeping in mind all of the above, how can any data collected from me by Netflix be reflective of any of my personal tastes, opinions or much else for that matter?

They're not, necessarily, but for some people, they would be. For this woman, they were. If someone were to look at the movies she rented, noticed a lot of queer themed movies and assumed she was queer, they would be right. Which is why she wanted it kept private.

As I said above, we had to make sure the slips with the due dates did not go back out on the floor, because they had customers' names on them and the names of the movies they rented. We never had an issue with it in the entire 7 years I worked there, because most people don't care about such things. They have no reason to. This is a case in which the woman has a reason to care. And it's for people like her that the rule exists in the first place.

[Williebee]

Reading about the contest, it could, pretty easily, be argued that what Netflix did was "invite" customers to research each other, and gave them the data to do it. The result seems pretty predictable.

[thothguard51]

Why I don't join groups like Netflix, or music download sites. I work for a company that deals in a lot of personal information and we have a whole privacy statement that states we will never divulge any information, nor sell information to a second part. (In very small print at the bottom, it notes this policy is subject to change with a 30 day notice.) I know the company wants to sell this information...but are more afraid of the lawsuites is sold to the wrong parties, which would be more than we collect for selling the names.

JUST SAY NO...

Nick Anthony

[whistlelock]

I wonder what they can tell from the movies I rent? They can't even give me interesting suggestions on Movies-They-THink-I'll-Enjoy. I'd say, 95% of the movies they think I'll like, I hate.

About all they can tell from me is I'm eclectic.
The only thing I can tell about you is that you apparently have an inexhaustable supply of ferret photos.

[veinglory]

On the internet nobody knows you're a ferret.

[Don]

On the internet nobody knows you're a ferret.
...unless you out yourself. :D

[regdog]

The only thing I can tell about you is that you apparently have an inexhaustable supply of ferret photos.

He's Shadow Ferret-you don't think he's going to use an iguana avvie