this post was submitted on 29 May 2025
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Text:

I consent to Plex to: (i) sell certain personal information (hashed emails, advertising identifiers) to third-parties for advertising and marketing purposes; and (ii) store and/or access certain personal information (advertising identifiers, IP address, content being watched) on my device(s) and share that information with Plex’s advertising partners. This data is used to deliver personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Your consent applies to all devices on which you have Plex installed. You can withdraw your consent at any time in Account Settings or using this page.

Soure: https://www.plex.tv/vendors/ (Might have to clear cache)

Can also read about the changes here: https://www.plex.tv/about/privacy-legal/

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[–] [email protected] 77 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Seeing the replies in this thread it kinda makes me wonder what Plex actually has to do for these zealots to quit using their platform.

Like do they literally have to steal naked pictures of you and pass them around the office? Like wtf.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

I'm slowly building up Jellyfin to replace it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (3 children)

You can literally click “I do not agree” lol. Also the “personal data” is a hashed email (so they don’t get your email), ip address, and watch history. Not very “personal”, and not anything that violates your privacy or is of any concern to you.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If you connect to the internet from 2 or 3 different locations, the hashed email will be the same, so they just need to compare the locations to those from another service like Instagram and they know who you are and what you're streaming.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

And? Why should we care? If I'm already using instagram and other social media platforms that we all know do this, I am clearly ok with it aren't I?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Companies want your money. The more they know about you, the more possibilities they have to get it. You don't know what the political landscape may look like down the road. You may feel safe now, but that can change quickly. Imagine you suddenly need to pay back money to the copyright owners unless you can prove you already did?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

And just like that we’re at silly made up hypothetical situations to drive fear and an agenda. That’s not even worth entertaining.

Btw these changes and the data that is shared/sold are only for plex’s hosted movies and shows - not your personal media collection.

We do not and will not collect information about content or titles in your personal media library or what you’ve played.

Personal media users: we do NOT, and will not, share or sell any information about the content and titles on or your use of a personal media server.

Source: link in the OP

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Lmao we already see people are being influenced by social media and targeted marketing, where do you think the source of that is? Do you think you're immune? Think again. And it's not just about selling you things, it's about shaping how and what you think. And what's the agenda I'm trying to drive in your eyes?

You're right that they for now don't sell personal library streaming information, let's see how long it stays that way.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

And just like that we’re at silly made up hypothetical situations to drive fear and an agenda. That’s not even worth entertaining.

It's all hypothetical until it isn't anymore. You're literally the slowly boiled frog.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

So how long before you admit you’re wrong? If they don’t sell it in 2 years? 5 years? 10 years?

You’re literally spreading FUD based on your paranoia.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I have no skin in this game, but IPs are definitely not anonymous data. Also there is a lot of great info out there about de-anonymizing seemingly random data. Interestingly enough, this is similar to the Netflix prize dataset that was one of the more famous ones. Maybe a good introduction to that would be https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/12/anonymity_and_t_2.html

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Idunno why you don't think having an unique hash attatched to your data is no biggie. Especially if that hash is easily cracked in a few years by quantum computers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Nobody is gonna be using a quantum computer to "crack email hashes" of Plex users in a few years... I'm not even sure there is a speedup to hash cracking with quantum computers.

But depending on the hashing algorithm used, it's likely pretty easy to crack hashes of email addresses today with a normal computer. They're not particularly high entropy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It’s an email address, it doesn’t matter lol

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just say you don't care about privacy and having all your data out there for anyone to do anything they want with.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

“All your data” lol

I care about my actual private data. My email that I hand out to dozens of sites isn’t that. What movies/tv shows of Plex’s - not my collection - isn’t that. It’s definitely not an issue when it’s opt-in like this is.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

And a Samsung TV app. There’s an entire branch of Samsung TVs that require side loading to get a Jellyfin app installed.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

My guess when the MPA buys plex data and they have what movies everyone has on their servers.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Tbh, the way people push Jellyfin every single time Plex is mentioned is so extremely annoying that I'm now even less inclined to use it, especially the way the JF zelots completely ignored the legit reason that most people use it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Not sure if you understand this or not, but you using, or not using jellyfin doesn't affect anyone but you. 🤷‍♂️

If you don't wanna use it, then don't use it. You're still wrong, but that's up to you lil buddy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That doesn't many any sense, because I just specifically told you that it doesn't matter to anyone but you whether or not you use Jellyfin... If it mattered to me, then yeah, sure. I'd be a zealot. But I don't give a shit what you personally use.

Also, pointing out the fact that Jellyfin is pretty indisputably better for people in this specific space isn't zealotry. It's just good common sense.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I think you missed the part where I said that the zelots completely ignore the legitimate reason why people use it over JF. Same reason I use it.

Also you can literally opt out of the data sharing, the button is right there. And if you don't live in a corporate shit hole like the US, data protections make sure that they won't use it without your consent or even store it because it's protected PII.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Also you can literally opt out of the data sharing

For now. It's always for now. You used to be able to opt out of Google data sharing too. And Reddit's. And Microsoft's. And Apple's. And your Credit Cards... The list goes on and on and on and on and on.

Soon as a large company realizes that they can vertically increase revenue by selling your data it ceases being an option. A realization that Plex will very soon learn because they've begun to sell data "optionally" for now. Then by next year, or maybe even the year after that it'll no longer be optional.

It always goes this way. Always. I can't even think of a single antithetical example.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

FWIW apparently this is talking about their free content, not about user content.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

And that makes a difference to you?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It does, yeah.

If they are providing the content, they can see that they are providing the content and that much is obvious.

If you are providing the content, you wouldn't expect that they can identify what you are watching.

That's the difference to me, yeah.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Mmmmm gross.

I'll leave you with this, though. Shit like this is all goalposts. For now it's just "their" content and not yours. But in 12 months it's gonna be all content. And what excuse will you make for them, then?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I'll switch to jellyfin like a normal adult who actually reads the updates and not a reactionary who just reads thread titles.