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Should Plex Stop Allowing Users To Opt Out of Data Collection? (www.plex.tv)
UPDATE: Plex has now made more changes to their privacy policy to address concerns about data collection, including "the ability to opt out of playback statistics for personal content on your Plex Media Server" and a promise "to 'generalize' playback stats in order to make it impossible to create any sort of 'fingerprint' that would allow anyone to identify a file in a library."
Here's what the original kerfuffle was about. Slashdot reader bigdogpete wrote: Many users of Plex got an email that said they were changing their privacy policy which goes into effect on 20 September 2017. While most of the things are pretty standard, users found it odd that they were now not going to allow users to opt-out of data collection. Here is the part from their website explaining the upcoming changes.
"In order to understand the usage across the Plex ecosystem and how we need to improve, Plex will continue to collect usage statistics, such as device type, duration, bit rate, media format, resolution, and media type (music, photos, videos, etc.). We will no longer allow the option to opt out of this statistics collection, but we do not sell or share your personally identifiable statistics. Again, we will not collect any information that identifies libraries, files, file names, and/or the specific content stored on your privately hosted Plex Media Servers. The only exception to this is when, and only to the extent, you use Plex with third-party services such as Sonos, Alexa, webhooks, and Last.fm."
What do you all think?
Here's what the original kerfuffle was about. Slashdot reader bigdogpete wrote: Many users of Plex got an email that said they were changing their privacy policy which goes into effect on 20 September 2017. While most of the things are pretty standard, users found it odd that they were now not going to allow users to opt-out of data collection. Here is the part from their website explaining the upcoming changes.
"In order to understand the usage across the Plex ecosystem and how we need to improve, Plex will continue to collect usage statistics, such as device type, duration, bit rate, media format, resolution, and media type (music, photos, videos, etc.). We will no longer allow the option to opt out of this statistics collection, but we do not sell or share your personally identifiable statistics. Again, we will not collect any information that identifies libraries, files, file names, and/or the specific content stored on your privately hosted Plex Media Servers. The only exception to this is when, and only to the extent, you use Plex with third-party services such as Sonos, Alexa, webhooks, and Last.fm."
What do you all think?
Don't like it, don't use it.
-beaker
No data leaves my devices without my explicit and informed consent.
Aww yiss First!
That is more than enough info to identify what files the user is playing. Slightly creepy imho.
On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days
Apparently based on the headline, the answer is no.
The followup question, "should anyone keep using Plex?", should also be answered "no."
How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
"Be concerned about your personal privacy!", we yell at people every day, while expecting them to flawlessly determine which violations are acceptable and not acceptable.
It's a pretty tall order, and when in doubt, turning off data collection across the board is the sensible thing to do. After all, keeping up with ever-changing TOS and user "Agreements" is, at this point, patently impossible ... and you never know when their data collection policies are going to change. We've all seen 1,000 times promises made, only to be broken later when the company is purchased, partnered, etc.
n/t
You know we're already paying for these services once. Why the HELL is it acceptable to demand we 'pay again' by selling our privacy to a third party?
No, that's a SOLID fuck you Plex. I've been using it for all of two weeks and that ends NOW. Just like most people like me the only reason we used it is because we prefer not to break copyright law, but not enough to stop watching what we like.
Whatever comes first, a fork or just a patch that disables this.
When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
wat
I think I made the right choice when I stopped using Plex a couple years ago. They've been heading down a path I don't particularly like for some time now.
But if you're happy with them, more power to you.
#DeleteChrome
Never heard of it before, like 99% of the crap /. takes for granted that everyone knows and uses.
I've been pretty happy using Universal Media Server instead of Plex.
I checked them both out last year when looking for the best way to steam stuff from my network to my Samsung Smart TV, and I was much more comfortable with UMS. It's been working fine ever since for my purposes.
Don't worry. Find friendly Plex user from Europe. Wait until May 2018 - and send EU hounds with GDPR policy on Plex.
Enquiring minds want to know.
Plex is starting down a slippery slope. I liked to use Plex precisely because I could opt out of the data collection. Oh well, it was a good run while it lasted.
That something else will appear to take up its place. In this environment, that is what happens when people start getting heavy handed.
It should be opt-in.
Should have done it long ago .... Plex server virtual appliance, welcome to the WAN blacklist. Enjoy.
Looks like I'm switching to some kind of Kodi powered solution instead of Plex. Bye Plex
Every time something like this comes up, everyone starts moaning about how they're going to blacklist/uninstall. Christ sake. Plex says they're not going to take anything identifiable and they don't care you're pirating stuff and playing it. Chill the hell out. Or go blacklist/uninstall. Plex isn't going anywhere, just like all the other services you nerdboycott.
This is why I stick to Directory Opus+Media Player Classic!
quit pissing off your users.
and while you're at it.. return to your roots. hiding features behind a paywall is not what got you where you are. gpl the rest of that shit like you should be doing.
in the mean time, fuck off. you aren't the only show in town.
This feels like Plex is trying to get rid of their old time lifetime subs. I'd imagine long time users of Plex are probably more technologically astute and more likely to care about this sort of privacy change... so why not change it, get delicious data and see if you can drop some of those guys that don't make you any more money. Nah... they wouldn't do that, right?
"Nimis exaltatus rex sedet in vertice - caveat ruinam!"
You never know who has only been online for just a month or few, otherwise we could cut to the chase and simply name every last one one of them after their departure lounge orifice.
One has to be a staggeringly malignant blockhead to avoid becoming sensitised to this retroactive ass bite in less time than you can google the newest Snapchat replacement (I'm not actually intending to date myself here, but there's an egg timer risk).
I have a FreeNAS 11 crash box for trying out various things, but I didn't progress very far with the media server thing.
My remaining choices appear to be Kodi and Emby, or another four letter word.
... my exact thoughts on this:
What the hell is Plex?
Plex has made it ludicrously clear that the change of TOS only applies to the 3rd party apps for the purpose of ad-serving, in the scope of the apps only.
Two things here:
So, from what I can see, they are monitoring in the right way, making sure that people bring content to their platform have the data to keep doing so, while at the same time drawing a legal shield between that and the content they proxy between personal devices, through their platform, to another personal device.
Stop overreacting.
Free versions no that's the cost of getting a free product. BUT any paid for version They have no right to any data except crash data and provide a feedback function that's how it should be for all paid for products and services.IMO
Jack of all trades,master of none
If they had placed the "opt out" as part of their premium features (for those with a plex pass), I wouldn't have complained. That would've given users the option between funding with money, or funding with their data.
They didn't.
If this is how they treat their paying customers, it's simply time to stop being a paying customer.
So we are forcing you all to, and on your own bandwidth.
No, plex has made it ludicrously clear they are going to start collecting data about your personal media and they are going to report about your personal media ... after scrubbing out only the bits legally defined in the US as PII.
People are reacting strongly because there have been many instances in the past where data scrubbed of only the bits legally defined in the US as PII has been shown to still be linkable to real people. That is the reason that many other countries have stronger, and broader, data privacy laws than the US does.
I've been using Kodi since it was called XBMC and I actually still have an Xbox one with one installed. However, I switched to Plex when I got Synology NAS and I found it a lot friendlier in usage for family members + it is available on all smart TVs these days + Chromecast support. I don't want to divorce it. As someone mentioned already let's see if new firewall rules will block it. Otherwise if they go with the attitude "stay or switch" I'm wondering if I can get my money back for purchasing Plex app for android which I got with T&C that included stats opt-out option.
'Nuff said.
The good news is that kodi is finally mature enough to to the 90% of same job without a central server. The live transcoding for low capability/power devices is a moot point for the majority of users, even the shittiest tablets are capable of 1080p
Also, once the items in your media library are originized and named well enough for plex, kodi will nave zero trouble presenting them.
I don't have such Plex problems.
Chewbacon
The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
Never used it personally, but from what I know, it's probably one of the closest replacements to Plex in terms of features and use. It's also open source, so if they ever wanted to try and do something like this, people could fork it.
YMMV, but I've been well served with either a SMB or NFS server and either an old PC or an nVidia Shield TV running Kodi. It's a client-side solution instead of server-side like Plex and Emby, but if you just make sure to encode everything to a format that your playback device can handle, there's no real functional difference when you just want to watch something. Plenty of routers these days have USB ports and can act as a SMB server, so you don't need an expensive NAS as long as you have a couple external HDDs around.
This is why you shouldn't use services like this. Vote with your usage and drop plex, there are plenty of alternatives.
You want my data, pay me. Never heard of Plex, never used it, prolly never will. But you want my data, send me money. If it ain't enough then fuck you.
Guess who else didn't let people opt out of information collection? Hitler.
Fuck these Nazi-esque fucks.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Amen! Well said, comrade!
#Trumputin #FAGA
" we do not sell or share your personally identifiable statistics"
So OK, unless the company signs a binding agreement with it's customers, in 6 months when the numbers are down they can decide to turn around and sell the data they have collected on you and you can't do a damn thing about it. Or in 2 years when a new CEO comes in and wants to boost profits to get a better bonus so they can buy the 52 foot yacht instead of the 35 footer, they can turn around and sell it. The bottom line is if the information gets collected, sooner or later it will get sold. The only way to really prevent this is for the company to destroy the data after a set time long enough to be used for their internal purposes, but short enough to prevent a money grab down the road.
If you disagree, please post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like
Obvious troll is obvious.
I'd get a new cell phone and OPT-OUT of flurry.com (Google) now Yahoo, the major one to block. That cell phone ID number being godfathered.
Ads were stopped, now the TOS reads ads won't stop just target ads will not be presented.
https://support.google.com/ads... adchoices mentioned will block ads if they are members but these are all cookies, blocking any cleaning out of ones browser.
Not being rooted as most aren't, a hosts file isn't possible; outside a router.
Just unsubscribe. As their userbase goes to zero they'll backpeddle.
Trump2020 #MAGA
Didn't you get the memo? It's Re-Elect #Pence2020 now. Even though he was elected VP not P the vs time,
Stick with P!
Hold your P!
#PencePalin2020 Make America PP Again!
Pray I don't alter it any further...
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Plex will be outlawed on May 28th in European Union with this policy. (New GDPR will be enforced)
One wonders how this works for their European customers.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...
Thanks for the service, you were great while you were great.
NEXT!
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Opting out also inherently skews the data. By providing that opt-out, data will only represent users that don't know or understand opting out. This means the sample of the population your are sampling may not be representative of the population. Psychologists have this issue very thoroughly studied.
In this case, I would argue that only the legally or technically savvy users will understand, thus meaning the data you get will be biased towards luddites.
(This comment does not pertain to the morality or other aspects of this ToS change)
- Sig
what address do I need to add to my pi-hole?
-linux... they can't *give* that shit away.