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TiVo Changing Privacy Policy?
Update 4:45 EDT: I spoke with TiVo about this. They are rolling out a DirecTV/TiVo combination box this weekend, and the new privacy policy was intended to reflect the fact that, when you register using the new combo box, both TiVo and DirecTV get your Account Information.
"We reserve the right to disclose to our hardware manufacturing partners (for example, Sony, Philips and Thomson) the Account Information and Anonymous Viewing Information of subscribers who use a Receiver made by that manufacturing partner..."
"Account Information" includes "Contact Information," which includes your name, address, phone, email, and other sundries, but not your viewing habits. "Anonymous Viewing Information" is a statistical aggregate of what you - and everyone else in your zip code - likes to watch.
The partner corporations will only get access to your "Personal Viewing Information" if you already expressly gave TiVo permission to have that information (I'm not sure why you would).
Two things to note:
First, you cannot opt-out of this information sharing with their hardware partners. If you sign up with DirecTV and TiVo simultaneously on your new combo box, then sorry, both companies get that info. The way they described it, there isn't much they can do about this.
This is despite my being told, when I called their customer support line as a customer rather than a reporter, that my opting-out of the Anonymous Viewing Information collection would also opt me out of the Contact Information. Oops. My guess is that their customer service people aren't hip on the new privacy agreement change yet. Give 'em a week.
Second, I was verbally assured that existing TiVo customers, without combo boxes, will not just have their Account Information or Anonymous Viewing Information given to the makers of their non-combo box. In other words, just because I own a TiVo box made by Philips, Philips won't get my name, address, email, etc. It would only be if I owned a (hypothetical future) combo box made by Philips.
Of course it would be nice for this assurance to be in the privacy policy itself! It really should be more specific.
They didn't promise me anything except that they'd try to be more specific in the future. I hope we'll be able to run a Slashback story in the next week or two, to let you know whether their policy has been appropriately updated. Stay tuned.
There's a flag on the machine that controls whether your personal info is sent at all. If you enable that flag, it doesn't get sent. So, you can either hack the box and set it, OR you can call Tivo and opt-out of the viewing info. They send a script to your machine on the next call it makes that has been verified to set that flag.
Anyway, this policy change has nothing to with your anonymous viewing information. Next time, get the details before you start spouting off.
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- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Tivo's at least acting responsibly about this.
I took the suggestion of other poster's here and called them on the 877 number.
Their rep asked me what I did or didn't understand about the new privacy policy, and made sure to reiterate that it's anonymous information they're sharing.
And he DID let me opt out. Their rep was pleasant, informative, and quick at noting in his workstation that my information is not to be shared.
He asked me why I was concerned about it, since it was anonymous information.
I explained that it's very easy to go from a snowflake of anonymous information into an avalanche of exploitation, that it only takes someone saying, "well, last year we sold that much information, maybe it's more valuable if we sell it *this* way!" and that I'd rather not contribute to that sort of future. He agreed and noted it, saying he'd mention that to his supervisor.
Do I think that makes a difference? no, but at least they're acting responsibly.
A host is a host from coast to coast, but no one uses a host that's close
Oh boy, let's watch CmdrTaco rant YET AGAIN without reading the full article that he's ranting about. Of course partners like DirecTV and AOL will have access to the customer data -- they need it in order to service the account. It's not like they're broadcasting your viewing choices to anyone and everyone, they are sharing very specific account data with partners that have a valid need for it, and from whom you have purchaseed a device or service. Whatever happened to giving someone the benefit of the doubt when you don't know all the facts? This is very much like the RedHat sensationalism that was posted yesterday, and I'm sure there'll be another issue that'll get blown entirely out of proportion tomorrow. Taco asked us to give Andover the benefit of the doubt when they purchased Slashdot, but he's not willing to do the same for TiVo when they form partnerships with other corporations. Aren't double standards great?
Really? Did you buy the lifetime subscription under a false name and address? (Is that even possible? Or do you have to pay with a credit card?)
Tivo is neither "good guy" nor "bad guy" - Tivo is a company, an entity that exists solely and amorally to make money.
I'm not cynical, but I always read the fine print and am capable of critical thought. Tivo (and ReplayTV, for that matter) long ago made it clear that their business models had nothing to do with selling boxes. This became even clearer when they started licensing their technology to other manufacturers. Given that the boxes are sold at a loss (or breakeven at best), and that the type and granularity of data the boxes are capable of collecting is far more valuable in real dollars than the monthly fee they're collecting indicates to me that they've got another revenue stream in the works -selling viewing habits.
I do my best to warn people of the risks here. When a Supreme Court appointment's video rental habits were publicized, congress passed a law expxlicitly protecting the privacy of such records. (This is why you have to *opt in* to such programs as "Blockbuster Rewards" to trade your data for "free" gifts.) Back when Ms. Lewinsky's book buying habits were subpoenaed by Mr. Starr, I had been warning people about buying with credit or debit cards (which make such data collection possible). Not everyone is going to be investigated on a national scale, but one never knows when one's data trail may be important. Perhaps to an insurance company (surfed any medical sites that use DoubleClick or Akamai?), perhaps to an ex-spouse in a divorce proceeding or custody battle (surfed any *ahem* other sites? Watching late nite Cinemax on your Tivo? Watching lots of TV, period? Maybe it was your fault/you're not a good parent), perhaps to a future employer, etc. Even people who aren't planning on running for office should be aware at how their personal preferences are collected and mined and can be used against them.
-Isaac
I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
Summary of TiVo's Privacy Promise to You
TiVo knows how important personal privacy is to you, so we have established strict policies to help protect the privacy of your personal information. In summary, we promise that:
No one outside your home, not even the TiVo staff or any of TiVo's computer systems, will ever have access to any of your personal viewing information without your prior consent. Your preferences are personal. The TiVo Service has no way of knowing what shows you have rated with "Thumbs Up" or "Thumbs Down." If you don't want even your anonymous viewing information (information that does not identify you or your household) used in any way, simply tell us by calling our toll-free telephone number (1-877-FOR-TiVo).
This is in fact repeated a few more times in the promise, that "If you do not wish this information disclosed, call our toll-free number." So yes, you can opt out.
Dragon Magic
Human nature is the same everywhere; the modes only are different. -- Earl of Chesterfield
I don't necessarily like having my personal information floating everwhere, but if you read their privacy policy, it doesn't seem to be such a bad thing.
If I decide I don't want to pay for gasoline anymore, will the oil companies give back the $24,000 that I paid for my vehicle since it will no longer be useful without fuel? No? Neither will TiVo, considering they didn't make any money on the hardware sale in the first place.
But seriously, the market for used TiVo's on eBay is quite healthy, I'm sure you'd have no problem getting at least 66% of your investment back.
Is Tivo going to let you opt-out? If not, maybe they'll let you keep your privacy for a price. Although it looks like right now, the Tivo policy is "Anonymous Only". I'm still glad I've got the Dish Network box instead. I don't have to leave it plugged into my phone line, or plug it in at all. That's the only way I can be sure that it's really one way. I'd rather just have my personal recording bundled with my satellite service then have my TV tastes auctioned off.
Photos of bits of the past hiding in the present: afiler.com
Mainly, this:
4.3 Contractors and Third Party Service Providers. We use contractors to help with some of our operations. Some of these contractors will have access to our databases of Subscriber Information on a temporary basis for specific tasks. TiVo also uses third parties to help with certain aspects of its operations, which may require disclosure of your Subscriber Information to them. For example, TiVo may use a third party to communicate with you (via telephone, email, or letter) about your account or upcoming features or services, to mail rebate checks, to process and collect payment for your TiVo Service via your credit card, to generate demographic profiles based on Subscriber Information of current TiVo subscribers, and to perform other work that we may need to outsource. TiVo contractually binds these contractors and third parties to use your Subscriber Information only as necessary to perform the services they are asked to perform; such contractors and third parties are legally liable for misuse of Subscriber Information.
This is in order to let DirecTV directly bill the DirecTivo users for the Tivo service. With the old privacy policy, they couldn't do that.
That's it, fellas. Your viewing info (that everyone worries about) is still completely anonymous, and only used in an aggregate form.
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- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
4.2 Manufacturing Partners. We reserve the right to disclose to our hardware manufacturing partners (for example, Sony, Philips and Thomson) the Account Information and Anonymous Viewing Information of subscribers who use a Receiver made by that manufacturing partner, as well as Personal Viewing Information (but only if you have expressly consented to our collection and disclosure of Personal Viewing Information) we collect from the Receivers manufactured by that manufacturing partner. However, TiVo contractually binds our manufacturing partners to comply with the provisions of this Privacy Promise; our manufacturing partners are legally liable for misuse of Subscriber Information.
'Nuff said.
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- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Look, your TV viewing habits are valuable, way more valuable than $10/month.
Funny, they don't have my viewing habits, at least not in a way that's identifiable to me personally. That's what anonymous means.
BTW, is it hard to be so cynical all the time? Tivo is not one of the bad guys. Some companies do know the difference between right and wrong, you know.
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- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.