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I also have another reason why I feel like download and off-line-only video is important: Privacy. Streaming services have increasingly terrifying and inescap

I also have another reason why I feel like download and off-line-only video is important: Privacy. Streaming services have increasingly terrifying and inescapable telemetry. Spotify, Netflix, Amazon, Google - all of them collect extremely telling things about us due to when we pause video, for how long, which bits we rewind back to, when we consume the content during the time, where (GPS-wise), how often we play them, the collective profiling of us based on what we download in general...and many other things we don't even know about. After listening to Shoshana Zuboff's audiobook 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism' - the most important book I have ever read on technology - I am very aware of this. The data companies don't want us to be aware of what they're doing to us. I'm not condoning piracy, and I believe content creators should be fairly compensated for their hard work - but unless there's a convenient way to be able to consume content in my own open-source local software such as MPV, all offline, and in full privacy without being spied on, I refuse to legitimise the alternative. I realise there's still blu-ray and DVD, but not always - many releases are web only, now. I'd even pay a premium more for such non-DRM content...your move, Hollywood. It was never natural to have people watch and profile us when we're already paying money to watch personal entertainment, on this massive global scale.

legulere 6y ago
With peer to peer file sharing you tell the whole world what you are watching.
- Sevaris 6y ago
  He didn't mention p2p, did he? I can go years without touching p2p, while still pirating everything I want to watch.
  - thejynxed 6y ago
    You're still advertising to anyone and everyone with admin access who cares to parse their log files every server hop you make to get it.
- thaumasiotes 6y ago
  On the other hand, all of > when we pause video, for how long, which bits we rewind back to, when we consume the content during the time, where (GPS-wise), how often we play them is entirely hidden. What model gives that up, but keeps the identity of the video you're watching private?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- taneq 6y ago
  Not at all. You share with an assortment of randoms that you're downloading a particular file (that they're also downloading) at a particular time. That's all. You don't tell them when you watched it, how many times, whether and when you paused it, or whether you fast forwarded the naughty bits or went back to re-watch them. It's far less intrusive. And most importantly, those few randoms don't have a flood of other data being scraped from your phone, social media, credit card transactions etc. to cross-correlate your viewing with. They don't see that you paused the movie when the main character put on some Nikes and went online shopping for a pair of Nikes for yourself. They don't see that you have friends over. They don't see what brand of microwave popcorn you watch with your movies. They don't care.
  - simooooo 6y ago
    Anyone who wants to know who is downloading a particular file can become one of the randoms
    - feanaro 6y ago
      And the rest (more important) part of his point still stands.
- m463 6y ago
  I don't believe he mentioned p2p anywhere in his comment. I agree about streaming services.
- fidelramos 6y ago
  Use a reputable VPN.
nindalf 6y ago
I have some bad news for you. None of us will ever find out what you watched on Netflix. Netflix won’t share that data with anyone, nor will anyone serve Netflix a warrant to find out what. But any peer on the torrent you downloaded knows your IP address. Content holders often do this, they monitor the IP addresses that download their shows and send the user a letter via their ISP to cease and desist.
- wojciii 6y ago
  Enter VPN. Trivial to setup after some research.
- Sevaris 6y ago
  There are other options than torrenting.
- throwaway888abc 6y ago
  Till when ? Because now they don't have (?) model to profit from it ? All streaming platforms are grabbing all remote control presses thoroughly. That's data first approach. Ask your favorite SMART TV too.
- mindfulhack 6y ago
  > Netflix won’t share that data with anyone You think I'm only talking about Netflix? What about the data giant Spotify? https://libraryfreedom.chat/t/extraordinary-amount-of-telemetry-data-collected-by-spotify/91 https://libraryfreedom.chat/t/extraordinary-amount-of-teleme... And as for the one company you mention, Netflix, here's some info which simply proves your claim wrong: https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/2uffl9/how_much_data_does_netflix_sell_to_thirdparty/ https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/2uffl9/how_much_da... https://help.netflix.com/legal/privacy https://help.netflix.com/legal/privacy
- Beldin 6y ago
  > I have some bad news for you. None of us will ever find out ... Ever heard of Max Schrems? He did exactly this (use GDPR to obtain his records) for Facebook. Not sure why you think Netflix would never go through the same hullabaloo - they operate in the EU as well.

legulere 6y ago

With peer to peer file sharing you tell the whole world what you are watching.

Sevaris 6y ago
He didn't mention p2p, did he? I can go years without touching p2p, while still pirating everything I want to watch.
- thejynxed 6y ago
  You're still advertising to anyone and everyone with admin access who cares to parse their log files every server hop you make to get it.
thaumasiotes 6y ago
On the other hand, all of > when we pause video, for how long, which bits we rewind back to, when we consume the content during the time, where (GPS-wise), how often we play them is entirely hidden. What model gives that up, but keeps the identity of the video you're watching private?
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
taneq 6y ago
Not at all. You share with an assortment of randoms that you're downloading a particular file (that they're also downloading) at a particular time. That's all. You don't tell them when you watched it, how many times, whether and when you paused it, or whether you fast forwarded the naughty bits or went back to re-watch them. It's far less intrusive. And most importantly, those few randoms don't have a flood of other data being scraped from your phone, social media, credit card transactions etc. to cross-correlate your viewing with. They don't see that you paused the movie when the main character put on some Nikes and went online shopping for a pair of Nikes for yourself. They don't see that you have friends over. They don't see what brand of microwave popcorn you watch with your movies. They don't care.
- simooooo 6y ago
  Anyone who wants to know who is downloading a particular file can become one of the randoms
  - feanaro 6y ago
    And the rest (more important) part of his point still stands.
m463 6y ago
I don't believe he mentioned p2p anywhere in his comment. I agree about streaming services.
fidelramos 6y ago
Use a reputable VPN.

nindalf 6y ago

I have some bad news for you. None of us will ever find out what you watched on Netflix. Netflix won’t share that data with anyone, nor will anyone serve Netflix a warrant to find out what. But any peer on the torrent you downloaded knows your IP address. Content holders often do this, they monitor the IP addresses that download their shows and send the user a letter via their ISP to cease and desist.

wojciii 6y ago
Enter VPN. Trivial to setup after some research.
Sevaris 6y ago
There are other options than torrenting.
throwaway888abc 6y ago
Till when ? Because now they don't have (?) model to profit from it ? All streaming platforms are grabbing all remote control presses thoroughly. That's data first approach. Ask your favorite SMART TV too.
mindfulhack 6y ago
> Netflix won’t share that data with anyone You think I'm only talking about Netflix? What about the data giant Spotify? https://libraryfreedom.chat/t/extraordinary-amount-of-telemetry-data-collected-by-spotify/91 https://libraryfreedom.chat/t/extraordinary-amount-of-teleme... And as for the one company you mention, Netflix, here's some info which simply proves your claim wrong: https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/2uffl9/how_much_data_does_netflix_sell_to_thirdparty/ https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/2uffl9/how_much_da... https://help.netflix.com/legal/privacy https://help.netflix.com/legal/privacy
Beldin 6y ago
> I have some bad news for you. None of us will ever find out ... Ever heard of Max Schrems? He did exactly this (use GDPR to obtain his records) for Facebook. Not sure why you think Netflix would never go through the same hullabaloo - they operate in the EU as well.