For Plex accounts created before March 20, 2025, we require your consent to sell your personal data as described in our Privacy Policy. You can always adjust your share/sell preferences <here>.
Selling IP address info. Huh.
Plex now will SELL your personal data
Submitted 3 days ago by Sunny@slrpnk.net to selfhosted@lemmy.world
Comments
apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 3 days ago
ZeroGravitas@lemm.ee 3 days ago
Incoming lawsuit in 5…4…
guy@piefed.social 3 days ago
I swear, I found it all on a hard drive laying in the streets, officer!
givesomefucks@lemmy.world 3 days ago
If you’re watching their “free” content and agree to that box…
The title made it seem waaaaay worse than what the screenshot actually says
diffusive@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I have a lifetime Plex pass but still I am considering switching. Currently I have both Jellyfin and Plex on the same libraries but Jellyfin doesn’t have support for chromecast (on iOS and Firefox) nor support for offline . (Not) covering neither my at home nor travelling use cases 😕
matcha_addict@lemy.lol 2 days ago
Can you clarify what you mean by Chromecast support? I have a Chromecast device and it has the jellyfin app on it. Works like a charm without issues. I have a feeling you mean something else though?
jjlinux@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
He’s probably referring to just Chromecast without the Google TV module. Jellyfin works great for me as well on the Chromecast w/GTV
Detren@lemm.ee 1 day ago
I think you can use Infuse on iOS to chromecast. I’m not sure if that’s behind the subscription though.
kvadd@lemmy.world 1 day ago
For chromecast to work with the app, you need to install the jellyfin app from google play, not fdroid or other store.
Jhex@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Man Plex when fully enshitified FAST!
frezik@midwest.social 3 days ago
“Hashed emails”. Besides the fact that they can match up a hash from one source to a hash from another source to link them to the same person, emails often have enough predictability to break the hash. Assuming they all end in “@gmail.com”, “@outlook.com”, or “@yahoo.com” will get you the vast majority of emails out there. Unlike a good password scheme, people don’t shove a lot of random data into their email addresses.
misteloct@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 days ago
The hash:
liamg@9696yddadgib
Redjard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Was about to say this.
I saw a small-time project using hashed phone numbers and emails a while ago, where assume stupidity instead of malice was a viable explanation.
In this case however, Plex is large enough and has to care about securiry enough that they either
did this on purpose to make it sound better, as a marketing move,
did not show this to their security experts,
or chose to ignore concerns by those experts and likely others (turning it into the first option basically)There is no option where someone did not either knowingly do or provoke this.
stellargmite@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Thanks for the headsup. This is the final push I needed. Been running Jellyfin for 6months or so but need to put more time into it. Plex has been great, and I’ve also been paying (though felt a little conflicted) a sub which I’m willing to do if it keeps a worthwhile project on an honest trajectory aligning with my needs and restrictions, for a good service or product. However they’re now doing exactly why I started on the self hosting path. Who’s to say the third party is jot going to be a heavy handed industry body, corrupt authority , let alone the problematic world of adsales? They’re walking a very strange line and seem very confused about their purpose. Other than the all ruining ‘growth’. Seeya plex.
cooopsspace@infosec.pub 2 days ago
Even if you can mental gymnastics into believing this won’t affect you, we know that’s the way Plex is going. How long until it does?
RedditIsDeddit@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Plex has always been trash imo. Far better open source options available.
minoscopede@lemmy.world 2 days ago
python -m http.server is still my media server of choice. It’s never let me down.
atticus88th@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Mine too! I’m enjoying your media server right now.
/s
fin@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
I bet you’d like filebrowser. Cleaner interface while being minimal as http.server
minoscopede@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Beautiful! I’ll definitely give this a go
Evotech@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I can imagine this data would sell for quite a bit of money. Networks love to wige about how much they lose to piracy
cortex7979@lemm.ee 2 days ago
honestly for my purposes, jellyfin is more than enough. Does everything I want. Even got the icons of the series I watch implemented in the player
Reygle@lemmy.world 3 days ago
If we find out “I do not consent” opts out, I’m fine with it. If we find out “I do not consent” leads to a “Close our account” page, it’s time for pitchforks, especially since they recently had a huge sale on lifetime memberships.
OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 3 days ago
If we find out “I do not consent” opts out, I’m fine with it.
Why? They don’t need more money. Jellyfin proves how much of their service can be done for free
Reygle@lemmy.world 3 days ago
I don’t disagree at all, but morally and legally speaking if “no” means “no”, I don’t actually see anything wrong with the prompt or the idea itself. If no means “later” or “limit this data”, or even “anonymize this data”, it’s time to revolt.
I agree Jellyfin’s pretty rad and DOES prove what can be done for free, I’ve used both and Plex is a much more “set and forget” and I personally have had more issues with streams breaking/stopping for no reason with Jellyfin- are those probably my fault? Yep, probably borked a setting or misconfigured it- just saying that’s my personal experience.
I’m just one idiot making noises with my meat flaps. I’m no authority.
Smokeydope@lemmy.world 3 days ago
From what Ive seen in arguments about this, Plex generally is more accessible with QoL and easier to understand interface for non-techie people to share with family/friends. Something thats hard for nerdy people to understand is that average people are perfectly fine paying for digital goods and services. They happily pay premiums just to not have to rub two braincells together. If you figure out how to make a very useful plug-an-play service that works without the end user of average intelligence/domain knowledge stressing about how to set up, maintain, and navigate confusing layouts, you’ve created digital gold.
feddylemmy@lemmy.world 3 days ago
“I do not consent” is indeed an opt out and you can use plex just as you were before.
Reygle@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Good to know. When I get this prompt at home I’ll be watching my Pihole server quite closely for a while to see for sure.
suicidaleggroll@lemm.ee 3 days ago
If we find out “I do not consent” opts out, I’m fine with it.
That’s exactly what it does. I got the prompt on my system, I said no, and it said ok and everything proceeded on like normal.
flightyhobler@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Last shit they pulled I moved to Jellyfin. Today I deleted my Plex account.
andybytes@programming.dev 1 day ago
Got rid of Plex a long time ago. Trash ass program
surph_ninja@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Damn. They’re really ripping the copper wiring out of the walls.
modus@lemmy.world 2 days ago
And then finding out it’s all fiber optics and everyone migrated to Jellyfin. :/
FourWaveforms@lemm.ee 2 days ago
I would simply click I Do Not Agree and then throw the computer in the trash
logos@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
I just got no, and everything still works fine afaik
wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Perhaps. The issue I perceive is that, for corporations, evil deeds are only illegal if you get caught and the government actually pursues you. Then, the most the corpos face is a fine, and remember: if the penalty for doing something illegal is a flat fine, then it isn’t a punishment, it’s a price.
Thus, this corporation has indicated its clear intent to sell me to the highest bidder. I would not give them a chance to do so. A “do not agree” button is just that: a “do not agree button”.
vane@lemmy.world 3 days ago
hashed email xD, if someone has email it’s just hash(email) == email. given how many emails leaked producing hashes of 90% of population emails is not a problem
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 3 days ago
Assuming they’re not salted hashes.
dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 3 days ago
My aim is to get my friends and family to stop paying for streaming services and if I have to pay for Plex to achieve this then that’s a win.
Jellyfin is nowhere near as feature complete as Plex and not by a long shot. My users don’t like the UI of Jellyfin and setting up for remote access is no trivial feat. With this in mind and my goals Plex is better suited.
So far have 8 users all saving £10-40 a month not going to streaming services.
somewa@suppo.fi 3 days ago
So expected. Now anyone who’s able to support the non exploitative alternatives like Jellyfin please do. It’s how you keep the good things going.
MaggiWuerze@feddit.org 3 days ago
I’m not even against Jellyfin or anything, but as long as I have to build elaborate VPN solutions to continue sharing my content I’ll stick with Plex. Not even starting with the availability of clients on different platforms and the general lack of polish in Jellyfin first party UI (player and config).
I could live with most of that stuff if there was a way to share my library without becoming tech support for half my friends circle
somewa@suppo.fi 2 days ago
Your reply just raised so many questions but most importantly why would you need a VPN with Jellyfin? I mean it’s just server like any other which means install, add certificates or reverse proxy with certificates and if you’re behind NAT you would need to setup port forwarding.
I mean if you’re worried about server being exploited if not updated then opening it to the internet wouldn’t be good but isn’t that the case with Plex already?
Quexotic@infosec.pub 2 days ago
Goddammit… Right after I got the lifetime pass…
mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
It literally gives you a gigantic “hey we want to sell your data. Do you want to allow that” prompt when you open it. They didn’t even make the “no, don’t sell my data” button grey and tiny like so many cookie prompts do. Plex went out of their way to put it up front and center, instead of quietly burying it in an obscure opt-out. There are plenty of perfectly valid complaints about Plex… But if a company wants to sell my data, (and here’s a spoiler warning: They all want to) this is how it should be handled.
Quexotic@infosec.pub 1 day ago
Interesting. I’ll have to look for that. I don’t believe I’ve actually seen the prompt yet.
ThraawnSolo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Damn it damn it damn it!! I can’t use Jellyfin because…its what I watch all my porn on. Plex was used for all the family stuff. Mother fuckers! Greed is a bitch.
Sunny@slrpnk.net 2 days ago
lmao.
ThraawnSolo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Yes! How can I use this with my seedbox? Just FTP to my computer and use the stashapp from there?
Johanno@feddit.org 2 days ago
You can hide libraries on jellyfin.
Just create a family user and a porn user and login how you please.
5197799@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Or…If feeling a little bit paranoid, run a second copy of Jellyfin. That’s what I do. Works well for me.
ThraawnSolo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Sweet Jesus thank you!
Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 2 days ago
It specifically mentions email addresses (used for account creation I assume) and what content is being watched, which a VPN wouldn’t do anything for.
ThraawnSolo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
What if its all tied to a seedbox, would that matter?
ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
This is basically my exact situation lol
sirico@feddit.uk 2 days ago
Docker and tailscale you can run multiple instances
Ulrich@feddit.org 2 days ago
I feel like I know the answer but what happens if you click “I do not agree”?
Fontasia@feddit.nl 2 days ago
Like all companies complying with European data collection laws, they can’t collect your data and have to delete anything they have collected.
endeavor@sopuli.xyz 2 days ago
They can’t delete everything they’ve collected and they propaply don’t.
In a few years the “do not agree” will dissapear anyway.
Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Emby is a good option if you don’t want to hop to jellyfin. I have been pleased with it so far. I found the media tag/idenifier to work better/quicker than plex’s.
Genius@lemmy.zip 3 days ago
Just deleted my account.
Hey, you reading this? You should too.
victorz@lemmy.world 3 days ago
I would probably still want to use Plex due to its superior interface, despite this shit they are pulling. But Plex on my TV is so UNBELIEVABLY slow. I have a large library, like almost 14 TB and still growing. But there’s no reason it should take almost a minute (or more than?) for the first content to show after starting the app.
Jellyfin with the same library takes mere seconds before I see the first movie/episode poster cards. It’s inexcusable how poorly optimized Plex is.
MaggiWuerze@feddit.org 3 days ago
Not to rain on your parade, but the Plex App on my TV, with a library of almost 40TB also loads in seconds
victorz@lemmy.world 2 days ago
No rain here. ☀️👍
What TV is that? I have an LG OLED TV from 2019 running WebOS, so that’s the version of Plex I am using.
My Plex library loads instantly on my phone and on the web.
Bread@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Unfortunately, that is just the system your TV runs on being slow. If you use a dedicated streaming device, you will have much better results.
victorz@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Jellyfin with the same library takes mere seconds before I see the first movie/episode poster cards.
How do you explain this? Every other app is very quick to load on the TV… Plex is the only issue.
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 2 days ago
sounds like a poorly optimized system tbh. My Plex instance loads within a few seconds. on roku, android, and web.
keep in mind I’m using nginx caching and some advanced configs.
victorz@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I am using the Plex app on my LG TV, to be more precise. That’s the WebOS version of Plex. On my phone and on the web, it loads instantly.
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 2 days ago
It’s opt-in. Zero issue here.
Sunny@slrpnk.net 2 days ago
Because Plex would never dare to turn this on by default for everyone…?
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 2 days ago
It’s also not for your personal media, only what you watch of their hosted content. They aren’t selling that your most watched thing is your highly curated big booty whores collection.
nomade420@lemm.ee 3 days ago
Hello Jellyfin.
WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 3 days ago
While selling data in general is shitty, I want to push back on the fear mongering a little bit.
This only applies to new accounts, and doesn’t apply to self-hosted content.
CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 days ago
“We have changed the terms. Pray that we don’t change them further.”
Aximil7@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Yet.
ayyy@sh.itjust.works 3 days ago
…for now.
TeddE@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Frogs do enjoy a good sauna. 😊
If that’s your line, then more power to you. I’m happy to live in a world where people make choices I don’t agree with - but I will always respect those who make an informed choice over people who let fate or advertising make their choices for them.
However, I also wouldn’t blame others for looking for an exit. Or testing other waters. Or at least thinking the grass might be greener elsewhere.
If you do continue to use Plex, consider taking a weekend for a hobbyist project such as a VPN server (OpenVPN or Wireguard are classics and broadly indistinguishable from work traffic) or a reverse proxy web server (nginx proxy manager is a good place to start). Not only are these useful and fun‡, but they defang one of Plex’s most marketable features - the automatic NAT traversal.
‡I put 3 VPNs on all my phones - a split tunnel to home; a full tunnel to home; and a commercial VPN with international egress points. The split tunnel lets my phone access my home services from any network it’s connected to (without impeding traffic destined elsewhere; the other ones are for coffee shop use). I can also give out access to the split tunnel to trusted friends to access my guest network. Also have a site-to site with a friend for off-site backup (with an encrypted tarball of my configs); for the reverse proxy, I enjoy stapling it to my routers public 80&443 and using DDNS to point vanity.example and *.vanity.example (cloudflare tunnel & pangolin exist, too). Inside my home I have *.internal.vanity.example and *.home.vanity.example for the management webUIs and intranet versions of services so that they can be accessed via https with a secure lock.
Having your own tools to build your own cloud - on a raspberry pi, or an old spare laptop or retired desktop, or a second-hand mini PC is worth the hassle, particularly if you are using Plex baked into an Nvidia shield or other proprietary product, can offer options - and it never hurts to have options.
… But at this point I’m well and good into preaching to the choir.
Tl;dr: No hate to Plex users, but maybe have a plan. 😅
Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Force PlexPass first, get money, then change terms.
Coordinated big-brain evil.