Netflix saves choices made by viewers in Black Mirror film Bandersnatch
Netflix appears to save all the choices that subscribers make while watching the interactive Black Mirror film Bandersnatch. This film has been on the streaming platform since the end of December, where viewers have to make choices several times.
Michael Veale, a British scientist working on data protection and machine learning, among other things, used the General Data Protection Regulation to request personal data about the Bandersnatch film from Netflix. He proposes based on the data sent by Netflix that the streaming platform keeps track of the choices made by viewers and also saves them long after the film has been completed, although it is not clear how long Netflix does that.
Netflix states in its replies that it stores viewers’ choices to “determine how this model of storytelling can be improved in the context of a show or movie.” In addition to the specific choices made, other data is also stored, such as the date and roughly the time at which the choices were made. It also keeps track of whether the various segments of the film have been viewed before.
Veale explains to Motherboard that Netflix claims that processing this data is ‘necessary’ for the execution of the contract between Veale and Netflix, but he wonders whether that is really the case. Veale believes that Netflix should ask for permission first at this point, which is currently not happening.
Veale reports that getting the data is quite simple. Sending an e-mail is sufficient, although the GDPR sets fairly specific requirements for such a request. After verifying his passport, Veale was given a link to a website that contained encrypted files containing the data that could only be viewed via a key supplied by Netflix.
According to the scientist, there is a chance that he received the data neatly because he is a relatively well-known person. He says he hopes that with this example he has inspired others to make use of their rights as well. “As companies increasingly receive requests like this, they need to streamline this process for the benefit of all users.”
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch has been on Netflix since December 28. It is an interactive film where viewers have to choose from two options at different times. The film lasts a total of 312 minutes, but viewers only see an hour and a half of this, because they have to make choices at all times. The story is set in the eighties, around the fictional game Bandersnatch.