I watch Jon and Kate on my MythTV system. Err, my girlfriend watches it on my MythTV system. Yeah.

aseriesoftubes

Just say you're 13 years old. It will skew the data, and they can't bug you for offers b/c you're too young.

Git Em SteveDave wants a Lego build buddy

@kibets: tis true luckily for me I don't use tivo and don't plan to

lilaliendog

Mark, the correct title is "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

Ummm...I mean, that's what somebody told me...or something...I don't even know what it's about...

92BuickLeSabre

If this was Microsoft lifting your personal info you guys would be screaming blue murder.

kibets

Oh, it's no secret. I totally watch that show with my g to tha f. Anyone wanna fight about it?

As much as I lurrrve my privacy, from the advertising perspective, they're really running out of ways to push their unnecessary products on us. My perspective: Buy less, buy better, buy products based on research or reputation, not advertising. People take advertising too seriously.

lpranal

EDIT: by "do it" i meant take care of 8 kids

jhara19

@HeartBurnKid: Cool trick! Is there a way of checking at the thrift store, on your phone perhaps, to see whether a Tivo has a lifetime subscription attached?

itchytooth

seriously though, how do jon and kate do it?

jhara19

This is waaay old news. The public outcry over Tivo happened long ago, and they even give you the option of "opting-out" so that your anonymous data is not shared.

tucker

@OMG! Ponies!: The big difference is that Nielson is opt-in.

Mark Wilson

Bah. Like everyone already didn't know that I watch tons of Cable channel softcore.

Hectorvex

The publisher EA Games did this in a game title called Battlefield 2142. The community was harsh about the ads being in-game, untill the game came out and we all realized that the ads were bilboards and such in the maps you played on. Also it took report of browser favorites as well, that was the real big bummer!

Advertising is just a part of everyday life nowaday's

Old hat

VeracityInexcusable

So then it's a hyperdetailed version of the Nielson ratings. I don't see a problem and, in fact, wonder why such a system wasn't already culled by cable providers.

OMG! Ponies!

Meh, I can care less about them selling anonymous aggregate data. It's when they start selling my profile for "personalized advertising" that I'll start getting pissed off.

Of course, I'm getting TiVo service for free ($30 TiVo from the thrift store that just so happened to have lifetime service FTW!), so I don't complain about much.

HeartBurnKid

And this ladies and gentlemen is why whenever a thing asks for my information I always put down 1/1/1908 female (I'm male) and either "k-12 student" or someone who works in the "entertainment/dancing" business.

Lupison

Meh. Advertising directed at me just means I'll eventually see stuff that appeals to me, instead of all the usual crap you losers buy into. So long, American Idol promos!

Heck, it even hints at the possiblity of programming directed to my interests, rather than just whatever random losers they usually get to fill out survey diaries. I'm all for it.

Privacy's a fun buzzword and all, but it's not always useful.

Lodril

@Mark Wilson: If you buy a TiVo, you're opted in :).

Joseph

@lpranal:

"I can't see sheep!"

"I wa a ba gel!"

What has my wife done to me.

kwicherbichin

I've had TiVo since the first generation box and also bought one of the pricey Series3 boxes, and it's really been irking me that every new software release inserts advertising in more places, such as how it's now in every menu, not just the root.

Advertising isn't a bad thing, but that's not what I'm paying a monthly charge for! The monthly service costs them nearly nothing to provide but I'm willing to pay it for the service offered, but not with ads. If there are going to be ads everywhere, make the service free.

Jered

@mcjake: Uh, I don't pay to use this or your site, and you don't have any of my personal information on file.
Huge difference, but nice strawman there.

pete

How is this any different than what Gizmodo or any other commercial website (including mine) do every single day? Sure we dont sell the data. But we share it and use it to sell every chance we get.

mcjake

This is the only thing keeping me from getting a Tivo. If they making money selling your data, then there better be a discount on the service, and it better be opt-in only.
Tivo, this is how it should work. Don't be dicks.

pete

Must turn it off!!!!!!! Too late!!!!! OMG NO!!! WHY? WHY? WHY?

I know, i could change my name, move to a new country, start a new life!

HawkSkater0

@Mark Wilson:
This is opt-in as well. If you don't want TiVo telling the world how often you watch "Next Top Model", then don't by a TiVo...

philly_phenom

As long as they sell it as anonymous, aggregated information that does not allow sales-holes to advertise to me directly I am all for it. I love TiVo, so anything they can do stay afloat I am all for.

Harkonian

@pete: Paying or not has nothing to do with privacy. And you are getting a discount on the service - in that TiVo would have to charge subscribers more if subs were their only source of revenue. They currently make very little from the statistics services.

You opt-in when you subscribe to TiVo, it is in the agreement you should've read if you subscribed. There is a way to opt-out.

And there is no big different between the service and many websites. The TiVo data is anonymized, so TiVo having your personal information on file is irrelevant. TiVo has detailed the lengths they go to to prevent the data they gather being associated with a user. Even if they were ordered to do so by a court, they've set it up so it cannot be linked to a specific user. They'd have to put a new system in place going forward for such an order and would not be able to provide back data.

Many websites use ad services which do a hell of a lot more personal tracking than TiVo does. And you don't think such services link to a person? Many find ways to do so, tracking public records, using cross-site tracking and then tying it to you when you make a purchase at a participating ecommerce site, etc. I used to work with some of those backend systems, they can be pretty clever. You're more likely to have your online behavior linked to you as an individual than your TiVo habits.

MegaZone

@itchytooth: If you can hook the Tivo up to a TV, you can check the System Information screen; if you see the words "Product Lifetime Service", you're golden. Both the larger thrift stores in my area have a table set up with a power strip where you can test appliances, electronics, etc; just grab the lightest TV they have and the Tivo, and go to town.

BTW, I didn't do this; I just bought the Tivo anyway and was rather pleasantly surprised when I got home.

HeartBurnKid

As stated, this is WAY OLD news. Tivo has been selling AGGREGATE viewing data forever.

Remember, they even released data about how many times people rewinded the Janet Jackson incident during the Superbowl Halftime show.

And, as also stated, if it really bothers you to be anonymously included with millions of other people in the results, you can Opt Out.

dbett

@philly_phenom @Mark Wilson: And even if you do buy one, you can still opt-out through the preferences menu.

HeartBurnKid

@pete:

In a way there is a discount...Tivo has yet to make a profit, so this keeps the prices from going up.

LUV2CattleCall

@kwicherbichin: My personal favorites:

"Him will throw up on ya hands" (only because, someone once said the same about me)

the word "Aldergator" , because it sounds like a decrepit pokemon.

lpranal

Not long ago Google bought from Nielsen that same information (to use on its TV Ad platform) [www.internetevolution.com]

@Lodril: Nowadays, everyone has forgotten about privacy! but I agree with you that it's better to see an ad targeted at you, instead of a global ad that you probably don't care about. But as I read somewhere, this will continue to "stratify the world" - never get to see anything new or outside of your comfort zone.

MikeTy

I love my TiVo, but TiVo is all but dead. And it's pulling crap like this that will just seal the coffin.

"Let's see, we crapped on our lucrative strategic partnerships, what can we fuck up now? What's that? Customer loyalty? By God, let's do it!"

FritzLaurel

@Lodril:

Thats all well and good if they show you stuff you actually want to see. Most algorithms now are a little weak.

SimpleNate