Although people have been communicating about their Netflix selections via Facebook and more traditional means for years, a hard-coded Netflix integration with Facebook is still newsworthy. But the announcement of the new service is really more of a reminder for Facebook users that their Netflix viewing data is now going to be available through their profile and newsfeed on the social network. Rest assured, there are privacy measures in place, but it’s safe to assume that we’ll hear about all sorts of awkward situations when friends are able to see exactly what their friends have been watching on Netflix.
The two most interesting aspects of this story lie slightly below the surface. The first is that marketers are now going to have access to the viewing habits of consumers via Facebook - where their actual identities are required. The second is that this entire integration was made possible because of a recent loosening of U.S. privacy laws that now makes it permissible for companies to share the video viewing habits of U.S. citizens. The privacy law change is barely noted in news reports about the Netflix and Facebook integration, but that’s clearly where the story really takes place.
What would prompt busy U.S. lawmakers to change a privacy law that centered on allowing companies to share the video viewing habits of U.S. citizens? Is it possible that Facebook and Netflix may have aggressively lobbied some "friendly" Congressional leaders to make this subtle change to U.S. privacy laws? Obviously, that information is available somewhere, and it’s likely to reveal what most of us already suspect. Ultimately, it’s probably not that big of a deal, but it’s certainly interesting to think about.
The two most interesting aspects of this story lie slightly below the surface. The first is that marketers are now going to have access to the viewing habits of consumers via Facebook - where their actual identities are required. The second is that this entire integration was made possible because of a recent loosening of U.S. privacy laws that now makes it permissible for companies to share the video viewing habits of U.S. citizens. The privacy law change is barely noted in news reports about the Netflix and Facebook integration, but that’s clearly where the story really takes place.
What would prompt busy U.S. lawmakers to change a privacy law that centered on allowing companies to share the video viewing habits of U.S. citizens? Is it possible that Facebook and Netflix may have aggressively lobbied some "friendly" Congressional leaders to make this subtle change to U.S. privacy laws? Obviously, that information is available somewhere, and it’s likely to reveal what most of us already suspect. Ultimately, it’s probably not that big of a deal, but it’s certainly interesting to think about.