[LINK] Fwd: RE: Privacy-hostile account requirement for iView - why?

[Karl Auer]

Barring a tangential mention of vague "opt-out functionalities", this
response fails to address any point I made.

Do they think we are stupid?

Regards, K.

-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: ABC Privacy <privacy.abc at abc.net.au>
To: kauer at biplane.com.au <kauer at biplane.com.au>
Subject: RE: Privacy-hostile account requirement for iView - why?
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2021 07:47:23 +0000

Dear Mr Auer,



Thank you for contacting the ABC and thank you for your feedback. We
appreciate your concerns and we take them very seriously.



Requiring audiences to log in to an ABC Account helps us to continue to
improve our services for all Australians. It means that we can
understand what account holders are engaging with and we can make sure
we are providing content and features for everyone. It also enables us
to provide all the great features people expect from video streaming
services, like saving your favourite programs to a watchlist, and to
continue watching where you left off across devices.



The decision to require audiences to log in is not a commercial one,
but one that will ensure we serve the Australian public by ensuring
that our content and products remain relevant into the future. The ABC
conducted Video On Demand research last year with a nationally
representative sample of over 1500 people. 95% of ABC iview audiences
expressed their desire for new and improved digital features.



That said, we are constantly monitoring audience feedback and reviewing
our practices, including in relation to opt-out functionalities, to
meet and exceed community expectation



Please be aware that you will still be able to continue to watch our
free to air television channels, as well as access other ABC websites
and apps including ABC News without logging in.



You may also able to use ABC iview without logging in to your ABC
Account. You will find a list of devices and TVs that can log in to ABC
iview here<
https://iviewsupport.abc.net.au/hc/en-us/articles/360003864996>;. If
your model of TV or your device cannot log in to ABC iview, you will
not need to log in to watch programs on ABC iview.



To find out how the ABC handles your personal information, please visit
our Privacy FAQs.<
https://help.abc.net.au/hc/en-us/sections/360000320696-Privacy-FAQs>



Please also review our ABC Privacy Policy<
https://help.abc.net.au/hc/en-us/articles/360001154976-ABC-Privacy-Policy
> and ABC Privacy Collection Statement<
https://help.abc.net.au/hc/en-us/articles/360001511015-ABC-Privacy-Collection-Statement>
;.



Thank you again for reaching out to us.



Kind Regards,

ABC Privacy



-----Original Message-----
From: Karl Auer <kauer at biplane.com.au>
Sent: Sunday, 30 May 2021 7:30 PM
To: ABC Privacy <privacy.abc at abc.net.au>
Subject: Privacy-hostile account requirement for iView - why?



Hullo My ABC



I do not understand why you are introducing a privacy-hostile policy
requiring all ABC iView users to have accounts.



For people who want the benefits of an account, such as customised
programming or whatever, accounts are a great idea. But that can be
achieved entirely and effectively through opt-in. There is no technical
need to impose an account requirement on everybody.



Forcing everyone to have an account, whether they want one or not,
rather suggests that there are benefits to YOU, about which you have
not informed us. Which leads to the uncomfortable suspicion that the
benefits to you are not things we, your viewers, would want you to
have, if we knew about them.



Please: Make the account system opt-in. Or make public ALL the reasons
why you will not or cannot do so.



Right now, you seem to be working hard on destroying your status as one
of the most trusted institutions in our country.



Thank you

Karl Auer.



--

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Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au<mailto:kauer at biplane.com.au>)







-- 
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Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)
http://www.biplane.com.au/kauer

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