MoviePass CEO: 'we watch how you drive from home to the movies'
chinatopwin
chinatopwin
2018-03-06 09:28:49

News, CEO Mitch Lowe told those at a business forum that the movie subscription service's
app not only tracks your location, but follows you to and from the theater. "We watch how you
drive from home to the movies," he said, adding that "we watch where you go afterwards." Not
surprisingly, the company is hoping to understand customer habits and "build a night at the
movies." If people tend to have dinner before the movie or to have a drink afterwards, for
example, MoviePass could steer customers to restaurants and bars and take a cut of the
revenue.
It's no secret that MoviePass would want to collect at least some data. It can use that to help
It's no secret that MoviePass would want to collect at least some data. It can use that to help
movie studios gauge how well their shows are really doing, which is particularly important now
that MoviePass has a stake in some productions. However, the company doesn't tell you that
it's actively tracking your location. As TechCrunch explains, the privacy policy only covers a
"single request" to help you choose a theater and improve the service. If Lowe is right, the app
is not only collecting location info without consent, but creating a huge privacy risk -- even if
the tracking data is anonymized, someone could theoretically figure out who you are and
where you live.
We've asked MoviePass for comment. Provided Lowe hasn't misspoken, though, this would
We've asked MoviePass for comment. Provided Lowe hasn't misspoken, though, this would
help explain why MoviePass is comfortable charging so little for a month's worth of theater
trips. In theory, the wealth of data would offset whatever losses MoviePass endures. The
question is whether or not it's collecting that data honestly, and it doesn't look like that's the
case.