Recent IMDb Updates
IMDb is well known as the most up-to-date source of information on movies, TV series, and filmography information on the Internet. Created in 1990, IMDb has grown over time and was purchased by Amazon in 1998. The site allows users to read reviews, actor biographies, and many other bits of information regarding the content they search for.
Recently IMDb made updates to their cellular application, allowing for higher resolution trailers in the popular Android app, as well as fixing many minor errors. The site seeks to continuously improve each user’s experience through the implementation of the latest programming, leading them to match other application providers in terms of versatility and quality.
While IMDb is a great resource for information, this Amazon subsidiary is also currently in hot water over violating their own Privacy Policy. Actress Junie Hoang (Huang Hoang) has recently raised a lawsuit against IMDb for the illegal use of her personal information, bringing a very curious court case to their doorstep.
When Huang signed up for her own IMDb Pro account, she had no idea the site would dare to use her personal information to expand their own database of film information. Hoang had never before released information about her age, something that IMDb then used to update their own database records. By publicizing Hoang’s age, the site has cost her roles in which she may have been cast, leading to the current lawsuit.
Hoang’s private information was used to farm further information without her express consent, leading to the discovered details being made part of her actor bio on IMDb. When Hoang discovered this, she immediately filed an anonymous suit against the company, asking for compensation for her losses resulting from the publicized information.
While the presiding judge admits that Hoang’s claims regarding the company’s use of her information without her consent are valid, they have also dismissed her claim for punitive damages, citing that her claims are simply not backed with enough proof of intent on the part of IMDb.
If the case does not end in settlement, this could easily set a precedent for the way Privacy Policies are viewed and written, not only in Washington State, but also all over the world.