Tivo Users Take Heed

[acroyear]

Take this as a warning. Your viewing habits ARE being watched. You should go ahead and assume that the history of what shows you tivo and how often you watch them are already being catalogued and sold to advertisers and nielson-types.

All it takes is for some extension to the Patriot 2 act to turn Tivo into a "financial institution" and the feds could look at your viewing habits. At any rate, if the feds or the courts accurately assume they exist they can be subpoenaed for just about anything. Get accused of child porn or child abuse? they can subpoena your tivo records to see if, for example, you've been replaying baby diaper commercials or the like. Get accused of stalking, and they can look at your viewing records for a history of scinemax softporn. Such facts WILL come out and be public record, even if you aren't even charged; they'll be part of the grand jury testimony.

Two-way digital systems to corporations with a potentially "flexible" privacy policy are generally not to be trusted.

Comments

[thewhitedragon.livejournal.com]

You're just now figuring that out? Eeesh. It keeps track of your viewing habits under the guise of catering itself to your liking.

Amazon does the same thing: I clicked on a DVD that was on the "people who purchased this also purchased this" list and it was a homosexual porn film of some sort that is apparently popular with viewers who watch Excalibur or somesuch. Every once in a while I get a "recommended for you: 'hot guys in ft lauderdale'" show up. Ugh.

And for the record, the title certainly didn't sound like porn (homosexual or otherwise) so don't go there.

Re:

[kiltboy]

Maybe they're trying to tell you something?

Re:

[thewhitedragon.livejournal.com]

[licking lips] Yeah, Dave, they are trying to tell me something

don't ever click on "what's related" links.