6 ms·

IMDB now automatically creating user accounts when you are signed into Amazon

6 points by terminalbraid 2mo ago

I discovered the hard way that IMDB is now automatically creating accounts for you if you are signed in with amazon and it appears details such as my name and email are being shared without my consent. Several other people are also reporting this.

PopAlongKid 2mo ago
Perhaps related to a recent change, where you now must be logged in to IMDB.com in order to view the User Reviews for movies.
toomuchtodo 2mo ago
Are there any open alternatives to IMDB?
- SockThief 2mo ago
  There's TMDb https://www.themoviedb.org/ https://www.themoviedb.org/
  - beardyw 2mo ago
    +1 for TMDB. A breath of fresh air in comparison, simple but elegant. Also has a comprehensive API.
- worldsavior 2mo ago
  Why do you need an open alternative?
  - toomuchtodo 2mo ago
    To defend against enshittification. Why would I use a big tech controlled resource when avoidable? If I avoid consuming or building on imdb in this context, I avoid inevitable platform decay. Investing in and leveraging public goods > eventual rug pull. Try to avoid the rug pull, when efficient to do so. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-age-of-enshittification https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-age-of... | https://archive.is/Pn0tm https://archive.is/Pn0tm https://www.democracynow.org/2025/10/10/cory_doctorow https://www.democracynow.org/2025/10/10/cory_doctorow
valeg 2mo ago
Amazon has been an absolutely terrible custodian of IMDb. I am still nostalgic about user forums...
leros 2mo ago
Are they really sharing anything without your consent though? IMDB is part of Amazon.
al_borland 2mo ago
I had this happen to me yesterday. I immediately deleted the account it created (I already had one under a different email address). I sent very negative feedback to IMDB about it, they emailed me back today with a pretty generic response. To me, this crosses a major line. I don't feel I can trust any site Amazon owns going forward. Any accounts I have currently with this (including my preexisting IMDB account) I now plan to delete, and avoid like the plague so I avoid having more accounts created without my consent. I think people need to react very negatively to this, as it sets a horrible precedent. Imagine every site that currently pops up with "Sign-in with Google" just taking it upon themselves to proactively create an account for simply visiting the page. I found this help article that explains they're doing it. This doesn't make it better, it just shows it isn't a mistake. Someone made this decision, it was supported internally, and implemented. https://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/general-information/imdb-single-sign-on-with-amazon/G9JR2GEAFLVH72VV?ref_=helpart_nav_15# https://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/general-information/imdb-...

6 points by terminalbraid 2mo ago

PopAlongKid 2mo ago

Perhaps related to a recent change, where you now must be logged in to IMDB.com in order to view the User Reviews for movies.

toomuchtodo 2mo ago

Are there any open alternatives to IMDB?

SockThief 2mo ago
There's TMDb https://www.themoviedb.org/ https://www.themoviedb.org/
- beardyw 2mo ago
  +1 for TMDB. A breath of fresh air in comparison, simple but elegant. Also has a comprehensive API.
worldsavior 2mo ago
Why do you need an open alternative?
- toomuchtodo 2mo ago
  To defend against enshittification. Why would I use a big tech controlled resource when avoidable? If I avoid consuming or building on imdb in this context, I avoid inevitable platform decay. Investing in and leveraging public goods > eventual rug pull. Try to avoid the rug pull, when efficient to do so. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-age-of-enshittification https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-age-of... | https://archive.is/Pn0tm https://archive.is/Pn0tm https://www.democracynow.org/2025/10/10/cory_doctorow https://www.democracynow.org/2025/10/10/cory_doctorow

valeg 2mo ago

Amazon has been an absolutely terrible custodian of IMDb. I am still nostalgic about user forums...

leros 2mo ago

Are they really sharing anything without your consent though? IMDB is part of Amazon.

al_borland 2mo ago

I had this happen to me yesterday. I immediately deleted the account it created (I already had one under a different email address). I sent very negative feedback to IMDB about it, they emailed me back today with a pretty generic response. To me, this crosses a major line. I don't feel I can trust any site Amazon owns going forward. Any accounts I have currently with this (including my preexisting IMDB account) I now plan to delete, and avoid like the plague so I avoid having more accounts created without my consent. I think people need to react very negatively to this, as it sets a horrible precedent. Imagine every site that currently pops up with "Sign-in with Google" just taking it upon themselves to proactively create an account for simply visiting the page. I found this help article that explains they're doing it. This doesn't make it better, it just shows it isn't a mistake. Someone made this decision, it was supported internally, and implemented. https://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/general-information/imdb-single-sign-on-with-amazon/G9JR2GEAFLVH72VV?ref_=helpart_nav_15# https://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/general-information/imdb-...