Netflix “Bandersnatch” Movie Records All of Your Choices

Netflix finds a way to record all of your choices by showing you its new Black Mirror series movie Bandersnatch.

For a very first time, Netflix produces its first interactive movie, where you can make choices to control the character by giving options that lead to several endings.

According to Verge, the researcher Michael Veale sending an email to Netflix to obtain his bingeing data, which is according to GDPR’s rights of access rules.

Initially, Veale’s primary aim was to show users about how to use the GDPR policy to request their data. Also motivates multiple online organization to make this procedure more transparent and fast.

But he found something surprising about how Netflix creates your profile to record your choices during its interactive movie.

The main concern that Veal’s raises during testing was that the streaming giant never asks for users permission to collects users preferences.

Bandersnatch Was a Data Mining Experiment: Michael Veale Revealed

Remember everyone quickly speculating whether Black Mirror: Bandersnatch was a data mining experiment. I used my GDPR right of access to find out more. (short thread) #Bandersnatch

— Michael Veale (@mikarv) February 12, 2019

Netflix Response to Micheal Veale

Netflix told Michael Veale that is collects data to “inform the personalized recommendations you see in future visits” as well as to help it, “determine how to improve [Bandersnatch’s] model of storytelling.”

Collecting users’ data is not a new trend at all. However, Netflix and other online organizations should respect some dignity to inform their users about collecting their data.

Moreover, users should also have the choice to opt out if they are not comfortable in sharing their data.

What Netflix Sends Michael Veal in Email

According to Michael Veal, the data send by streaming service is not complex at all and easy to understand.

For the email, Veal’s send streaming giant a copy of his passport to confirm his identity. He received two encrypted files: a PDF containing an explanation of the data. Also a CSV file containing all his choices.

This is something terrifying Bandersnatch storyline revolves around its protagonist growing increasingly paranoid that his every move is being tracked and watched, there’s something strangely paradoxical about Veale’s discovery.