Has anyone done a deep dive on the privacy and security implications of Netflix fingerprinting your home WiFi Network and essentially creating a record of when you are home or not … just to crack down on password sharing?
Oops, I was like genuinely asking not trying to do numbers but here we are. A reporter reached out to me about my thoughts on this and I'm still formulating but here's what I've got:
I mean in some ways there's nothing super unique about what Netflix is doing. Most websites you visit will know your IP address, rough location, what browser or OS you're using, etc.
That said, it's notable that Netflix blocks VPNs (to prevent people from streaming content that's not available in their area) which is a pretty shitty security practice, especially since some people use VPNs to literally keep themselves safe and hide their location from gov etc
And there is something somewhat different about just sort of generalized knowledge "this device is connecting from this network" and building a system that is constantly checking where you're logging into Netflix from.
But beyond the privacy stuff this whole move just kinda reeks of desperation. Like, it's hard to imagine this is gonna really generate all that much more revenue for Netflix?
I think @doctorow and @rgibli "Chokepoint Capitalism" basically is the definitive take on why this is happening and why it sucks. Cory has a great thread here that's smarter than mine i'm pretty sure
https://twitter.com/doctorow/status/1621139202183143424
And of course lawmakers need to do their jobs and pass a real data privacy law strong enough to effectively abolish surveillance capitalism as a business model. Stop messing around with nonsense like #KOSA and banning TikTok and actually rein in Big Tech & commercial surveillance
idk if you're still here read this op-ed i published earlier today. it's on a different topic but just as important fastcompany.com/90843990/senat…
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