Netflix Prize Sequel Cancelled Over Privacy Concerns

An anonymous reader writes "Netflix just announced that they have cancelled the sequel to the Netflix Prize, which was promised last year. Netflix made the choice after they were sued over privacy concerns. The prize involves releasing large amounts of data about users' movie preferences, which raised concerns from the Federal Trade Commission and a lawsuit from KamberLaw LLC. Netflix's Neil Hunt said, 'We have reached an understanding with the FTC and have settled the lawsuit with plaintiffs. The resolution to both matters involves certain parameters for how we use Netflix data in any future research programs.'"

Comments

It's time to play... Name That Person!

[LostCluster]

From the linked to previous story...

If a data set reveals a person's ZIP code, birthdate and gender, there's an 87 percent chance that the person can be uniquely identified

Why does Netflix need to release something as precise as a birthday in order to make movie recommendations? I mean, TV ratings are done in demographic groups. Couldn't Netflix get away by just stating a birth year?

Re:It's time to play... Name That Person!

[Anonymous Coward]

He was just wondering why he was suddenly started getting a second copy for free...

Re:It's time to play... Name That Person!

[FunkyELF]

Why does Netflix need to release something as precise as a birthday in order to make movie recommendations? I mean, TV ratings are done in demographic groups. Couldn't Netflix get away by just stating a birth year?

I was born on Dec 4th so I am partial to movies about Pearl Harbor.

I'm sure people born on or around Dec 25th feel differently about Christmas movies than others.

You comb through enough data you'll find patterns. Who knows.

Re:It's time to play... Name That Person!

[zkp]

Actually you could probably learn a lot about a person from how they rated certain movies...

Did you watch Michael Moore's film "Capitalism: A Love Story"?

Rating of 5 => You are most likely very liberal

Rating of 1 => You are most likely very conservative

Other things I could potentially learn about you: your religious beliefs, how much time you spend watching movies etc...

Personally, it would not bother me if someone saw my ratings of the films (probably a 1 in my case) or if you knew that I am pretty conservative. The issue is a matter over control. I should be the one who has control over that information, unless netflix explicitly tells you that they give this information out to other customers.

Sad, but no need to cancel the whole contest

[pwnies]

This is definitely a sad outcome to all of this. However, couldn't Netflix just update their EULA and/or have an opt-in for users who want to make the experience better?

Wow

[Pojut]

I don't know if people are just paranoid or what, but they seem to be intent on protecting EVERYTHING nowadays. Next thing you know, people will get sued for asking whether you put the toilet paper roll facing away from the wall or towards it.

For the record, it's away from the wall, you savages.

Re:Wow

[fahrbot-bot]

...you put the toilet paper roll facing away from the wall or towards it. For the record, it's away from the wall, you savages.

Assuming "away" means "over", then you must not have pets. A kitten can easily unspool a whole roll like that. Having it facing the wall (or "under") prevents that.

Perhaps that makes me a savage, but at least I'm a neat savage. :-)

Re:Wow

[maxume]

Sometimes they get sued for having insurance.

I have to agree

[T Murphy]

I bet there are thousands of guys out there scared to death that someone will find out they rented Twilight (for the girlfriend, honest!). I'd rather be known as a lawyer-happy jerk than a Twilight fan.

Re:Someone else would have to have

[LostCluster]

Let's say you have a job. Your boss, by law, needs to see and retain a copy of either your drivers license or passport, either one of which identifies your birthdate, address (which contains your ZIP code) and gender.

Now let's say he downloads this Netflix data... he's got enough info to be 84% sure that the only record that has your birthdate, gender. and ZIP code, is you. Worse yet, if he had your ZIP+4, the only way there'd be any ambiguity left is if you live with a twin.

Re:Someone else would have to have

[winomonkey]

I am curious which passport you have that includes your address. If I recall correctly, mine does not have an address in it. To verify, I looked to see what goes into a passport:

• Photograph
• Type [of document, which is "P" for "passport"]
• Code [of the issuing country, which is "USA" for "United States of America"]
• Passport No.
• Surname
• Given Name(s)
• Nationality [which is "United States of America"]
• Date of Birth
• Place of Birth (lists only the state followed by "USA" for those born in the United States)
• Sex
• Date of Issue
• Date of Expiration
• Authority
• Endorsements

No address. A passport will not tell your employer where you live. At best, they will know which state you were born in.

Re:Someone else would have to have

[retchdog]

For now. If this kind of data-leak became common, you can bet there would emerge specialist firms/consultants to do the mining, perhaps as a value-add onto a more general background check.

Vigilance.