In-the-Closet Lesbian Sues Netflix for Releasing Her Movie Preferences [Lawsuits]

It's unfortunate. Once you put something on the internet, expect it to become public information. I don't like the fact that this is how things work, but they do. Despite most people's discomfort with such a lack of privacy, I think that these conditions encourage us to behave nicely.

It works like this:
Regardless of my intentions/desires, I will be good. Why? I'm well behaved because I know that my actions are visible.

There is certainly nothing wrong with demanding ethical actions from corporations such as Netflix or Google. Really, we should continue to ask more of them. At the same time, Google reminds us daily that data and its traffic are responsible for making profits even if it makes individuals' lives transparent.

The sad thing is, this woman probably didn't even have facebook. If you have anything you're trying to hide, you know that Facebook is not the place for you. I guess watching too many movies in Netflix's Gay and Lesbian category will cause an uproar. I had no idea that my watching Brokeback Mountain would mean taking such a risk.

In-the-Closet Lesbian Sues Netflix for Releasing Her Movie Preferences [Lawsuits]: "
A mother of two, who also happens to be gay (and not broadcasting it), is anonymously suing Netflix for releasing her movie preferences in that contest they held awhile back. Basically, she's Borking them.
In the course of releasing boatloads of data to contestants in its 'Beat Netflix's Recommendation Algorithm' contest, they may not have disguised where that data came from as well as they should. The plaintiff, known here as Jane Doe to preserve privacy, alleges that her identity could be divined from the data, and thus threatens her civil right to privacy. Apparently, two researchers compared Netflix reviews to IMDB reviews and figured out some identities that way.
The suit seeks a cash settlement for each of the 2 million Netflix customers involved, and also seeks to stop the upcoming sequel to the original Netflix contest. We'll keep you updated on the suit—it's a pretty interesting one, for sure. [Wired]

"