Plex now want to SELL your personal data
-
The lack of a PS5 app makes Jellyfin useless to me. We have a dumb TV with no casting ability so the PlayStation is our media box.
Chromecast. Regular is cheap, and grab the 4K one if you wanna stream higher quality movies. Cost you less than $100.
-
Sorry, I meant "Plex took away free remote streaming".
You're being really, really snippy. Either have a coffee or take a breather, but calling strangers liars is way offside.
I'm not lying, I can show you my Fw config. My son called me yesterday saying he couldn't watch Plex, something about the Plex pass. I just changed the Fw rule DST nat mangle port and told him to use jellyfin. The user is local, so that's dead easy. Done in 10 minutes.
And yes, most users don't have this kind of experience, granted. But Plex comes with its own stupidities, like in 2020 when my wife had to pay $5 for the Plex app so she could access our library. Or the exercise of sharing libraries if you don't have a Plex pass, which is a real pain.
But that wasn't my point. I was trying to relay that jellyfin isn't as buggy and difficult as a lot of self hosters claim.
I don't mean to add fuel to the fire with Gentry or anything but I can speak towards my experience with jellyfin here. When I started with jellyfin I didn't know a lot about networking or even self hosting, I pretty much jumped in blind. Although it's fair to say I am not new to technical concepts/troubleshooting so my experience is definitely going to be smoother than a non technical user.
For context I am using truenas scale to host jellyfin and I was able to install it, configure it, and get my library going on the first try and it was definitely under 20 minutes. Once I decided I wanted remote access to my library it wasn't super crazy to figure out tail scale (maybe 30 minutes?) and have that available too. It might not have been under an hour total but coming from almost nothing as a newer user I didn't really experience a lot of turbulence.
-
No, the bans stem from the EULA. I am not breaching the EULA. Whether Plex can verify that or not is not much of a concern for me.
But to be clear, I have zero to lose here. The outcome of Plex banning me for not breaking their EULA (for some reason, which is technically possible but unlikely) is the exact same as the outcome of me dropping Plex in case they ban me. In both cases the only thing that happens is I'm not using Plex anymore.
Also, in your hypothetical Plex already knows the stuff you are worried about. The SSO has nothing to do with it. Plex doesn't need data from Google to know, they already have your personal information.
I guess adding to the list of reasons to use Plex "being berated by online randos wanting to be performatively tech savvy". Which, again, changes nothing practical, but hey.
No, the bans stem from the EULA.
::: spoiler spoiler
This TOS will take effect (or re-take effect) at the (and each) time you begin installing, accessing, or using the Plex Solution, WHICHEVER IS EARLIEST, and is effective until terminated as set forth below. Plex reserves the right to terminate this TOS at any time on reasonable grounds, which shall specifically include, without limitation, discontinuation of the Plex Solution (or related services) as an offering of the Plex business, nonpayment, termination of account, fraudulent or unlawful activity, or actions or omissions that violate this TOS, subject to the survival rights of certain provisions identified below. In addition, Plex shall have the right to take appropriate administrative and/or legal action in the event of breach or (alleged) criminal activity, including alerting legal authorities, as it deems necessary in its sole discretion.
When using the Plex Solution in accordance with the foregoing license, you shall not directly or indirectly (a) use the Plex Solution to create any service, software or documentation that performs substantially the same functionality as the Plex Solution, (b) disassemble, decompile, reverse-engineer, or use any other means to attempt to discover any source code, algorithms, trade secrets, or applications underlying the Plex Solution or any of its tools, content, or features, (c) encumber, sublicense, transfer, distribute, rent, lease, time-share, or use the Plex Solution in any service bureau arrangement or otherwise for the benefit of any third party, (d) adapt, combine, create derivative works of, or otherwise modify the Plex Solution, (e) disable, circumvent, or otherwise avoid or undermine any security device, mechanism, protocol, or procedure implemented in the Plex Solution, (f) use or access the Plex Solution for any unlawful, fraudulent, deceptive, tortious, malicious, or otherwise harmful or injurious purpose, (g) remove, obscure, deface, or alter any proprietary rights notices on any element of the Plex Solution or accompanying documentation, or (h) use the Plex Solution in any manner which could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Plex Solution or interfere with any third party’s authorized use of the Plex Solution.
:::But maybe you don't care about any of that shit, either? Idk man the list of things you're dismissing as unimportant is really adding up.
Plex already knows the stuff you are worried about. The SSO has nothing to do with it. Plex doesn’t need data from Google to know, they already have your personal information.
Jellyfin has zero idea who I am or what accounts/IPs access my server, nor do they know what's a part of my media catalogue or if they are legally licensed to me. If I were to use google's SSO, then google would know which accounts/IP's are accessing my server, which isn't a huge deal by itself, but if jellyfin were to have information about my entire account and library then it would suddenly be a very big issue.
But Plex does know what's on your account, and they do limit the number of authenticated users of the account as a part of their TOS and through limitations surrounding their paid plex pass, and they have exercised their right to terminate accounts and pass personal information of infringers along to law enforcement and copyright holders. None of which is even a remote possibility with a completely self-hosted solution. But hey, if you're happy then more power to ya.
-
They argue against most suggestion with the notion, that existing clients can't handle authentication. The devs prefer working clients over a properly secured backend.
You can now extrapolate this idea and every major change that would change the way the API is accessed by clients will be stopped for the sake of continued client compatibility.
It's this old link, eh?
-
Text:
I consent to Plex to: (i) sell certain personal information (hashed emails, advertising identifiers) to third-parties for advertising and marketing purposes; and (ii) store and/or access certain personal information (advertising identifiers, IP address, content being watched) on my device(s) and share that information with Plex’s advertising partners. This data is used to deliver personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Your consent applies to all devices on which you have Plex installed. You can withdraw your consent at any time in
Account Settings or using this page.Soure: https://www.plex.tv/vendors/
(Might have to clear cache)Can also read about the changes here:
https://www.plex.tv/about/privacy-legal/Seeing the replies in this thread it kinda makes me wonder what Plex actually has to do for these zealots to quit using their platform.
Like do they literally have to steal naked pictures of you and pass them around the office? Like wtf.
-
$30 Android box solves this
I generally agree with you and its what I did, but why do i need yet another device plugged in, draining power all the time? I dont want to leave an even larger co2 footprint and software support on existing hardware could aid in that. The android box is a workaround, not a green enough solution in my opinion.
-
I've tried Jellyfin and the Live TV / tuner interface sucked so bad I didn't want to bother with it any further. Maybe I could have found plugins or some shit to make it more usable but I've had a lifetime Plex pass for almost a decade and it still works great
Yes, they've made a number of decisions that truly suck in that time but it's still better than the experience I had with Jellyfin or Emby, even recently.
It works pretty well for me personally. What was the problem?
-
I think it mostly comes down to sharing stuff with others.
There's a lot of stuff in Jellyfin you wouldn't want to expose to the internet.
No idea if Jellyfin even has a client for my dad's shonky old 4K TV, but I certainly wouldn't be able to set up Wireguard or anything on it.
I wouldn't expose Plex to the internet either
-
Can someone explain to me why you need anything more than directories filled with files to view content?
I'm struggling to understand why anybody would need or want something like Plex.
I want to watch a movie. I open explorer, go to the folder movies, select the movie, and double click the icon.
The end.
Because that's pretty inconvenient?
I need something like
-
ability to watch from any device
-
transcoding
-
watch history and progress save
-
-
Can someone clue me in on the reason why anyone would prefer Plex instead of Jellyfin?
wrote on last edited by [email protected]They're going to sell the data to movie companies so they can find out what is being pirated
I fuckin guarantee it.
Trakt did the same thing I bet
-
Me eating
and reading the comments of Plex users arguing with Jellyfin users, while myself being a user of Kodi which has it's own problems..I use the Kodi plugin for Jellyfin
-
Why does nobody ever mention Emby? To me, it’s everything Plex used to be before it got enshittified!
Isn't it proprietary?
-
The lack of a PS5 app makes Jellyfin useless to me. We have a dumb TV with no casting ability so the PlayStation is our media box.
Have you even tried the web UI?
-
Then how did you use Plex? Did you even RTFM?
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Lmao I dont know how stupid got used in my reply, made me sound angry
-
Seeing the replies in this thread it kinda makes me wonder what Plex actually has to do for these zealots to quit using their platform.
Like do they literally have to steal naked pictures of you and pass them around the office? Like wtf.
I'm slowly building up Jellyfin to replace it.
-
No, the bans stem from the EULA.
::: spoiler spoiler
This TOS will take effect (or re-take effect) at the (and each) time you begin installing, accessing, or using the Plex Solution, WHICHEVER IS EARLIEST, and is effective until terminated as set forth below. Plex reserves the right to terminate this TOS at any time on reasonable grounds, which shall specifically include, without limitation, discontinuation of the Plex Solution (or related services) as an offering of the Plex business, nonpayment, termination of account, fraudulent or unlawful activity, or actions or omissions that violate this TOS, subject to the survival rights of certain provisions identified below. In addition, Plex shall have the right to take appropriate administrative and/or legal action in the event of breach or (alleged) criminal activity, including alerting legal authorities, as it deems necessary in its sole discretion.
When using the Plex Solution in accordance with the foregoing license, you shall not directly or indirectly (a) use the Plex Solution to create any service, software or documentation that performs substantially the same functionality as the Plex Solution, (b) disassemble, decompile, reverse-engineer, or use any other means to attempt to discover any source code, algorithms, trade secrets, or applications underlying the Plex Solution or any of its tools, content, or features, (c) encumber, sublicense, transfer, distribute, rent, lease, time-share, or use the Plex Solution in any service bureau arrangement or otherwise for the benefit of any third party, (d) adapt, combine, create derivative works of, or otherwise modify the Plex Solution, (e) disable, circumvent, or otherwise avoid or undermine any security device, mechanism, protocol, or procedure implemented in the Plex Solution, (f) use or access the Plex Solution for any unlawful, fraudulent, deceptive, tortious, malicious, or otherwise harmful or injurious purpose, (g) remove, obscure, deface, or alter any proprietary rights notices on any element of the Plex Solution or accompanying documentation, or (h) use the Plex Solution in any manner which could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Plex Solution or interfere with any third party’s authorized use of the Plex Solution.
:::But maybe you don't care about any of that shit, either? Idk man the list of things you're dismissing as unimportant is really adding up.
Plex already knows the stuff you are worried about. The SSO has nothing to do with it. Plex doesn’t need data from Google to know, they already have your personal information.
Jellyfin has zero idea who I am or what accounts/IPs access my server, nor do they know what's a part of my media catalogue or if they are legally licensed to me. If I were to use google's SSO, then google would know which accounts/IP's are accessing my server, which isn't a huge deal by itself, but if jellyfin were to have information about my entire account and library then it would suddenly be a very big issue.
But Plex does know what's on your account, and they do limit the number of authenticated users of the account as a part of their TOS and through limitations surrounding their paid plex pass, and they have exercised their right to terminate accounts and pass personal information of infringers along to law enforcement and copyright holders. None of which is even a remote possibility with a completely self-hosted solution. But hey, if you're happy then more power to ya.
You are correct, I don't care about any of that either. And I know about the boilerplate. Bud.
You need to agree with yourself about what you're arguing. Are you saying that the problem is the SSO or Plex?
Because if Plex will go tell on you it will do it based on the data they have internally, not based on any data captured by the login flow, so the SSO is not additional issue compared to using Plex without the Google login and using the email login instead.
And if you're arguing that the SSO is the problem and not Plex which you indignantly reminded me is what the thread was about, then you're arguing against yourself, because it sure seems we agree that if Plex is going to take any action against you illegally sharing files through their system (which, by the way, they are legally obligated to do) it won't be due to the Google login at all, which is just a bit of convenience and doesn't seem to provide anybody with any data they don't already have.
Once again, you are super keen on playing up hypotheticals. Once again, the biggest issue with those hypotheticals is that Plex boots me out... of Plex. I am not doing anything illegal with it or even breaching their EULA, including the paragraphs you quote (not that something being written down in an EULA makes it applicalbe, but still). I will bite that bullet and live with Jellyfin's implementation if and when that happens. Which it likely won't.
-
Then how did you use Plex? Did you even RTFM?
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Since I originally started using it on my everyday use Windows PC via an exe, no I did not hahahaha. Now I have it running in Open Media Vault on my NAS.
-
The issue is their approach to security. I don't trust them to properly secure their software, since they have proven to prefer client compatibility over security.
Understandable. I don't worry that much myself since I haven't heard anything bad happening yet. And with ro rights to media, potential damage at least should be pretty limited.
-
Relevant XKCD: https://www.xkcd.com/743/
America always does what's right, after they've tried everything else. - Someone
-
content being watched) on my device(s) and share that information with Plex’s advertising partners
That is a honey pot rights holders will be falling over themselves to pay Plex for access to once they hear about it.
Been telling anyone that would listen that they need to get out of Plex since they implemented that first iteration of trying to require you to sign into your own self hosted server with a Plex.tv account. They were telegraphing what direction they were going in with that kind of user hostile move.
Lots of responses about how it was easy to get around so no big deal (or worse that they liked it for some coping mechanism reason) and that nothing else was as easy and feature rich as Plex so it was worth it.
Well now a few years down the road from that they are now going to use that beach head on everyone's Plex server they can to collect what is being watched and sell it to the highest bidder.
I joined Plex after I already needed to have a login to plex.tv to be able to stream. I understand that that already was problematic, but Plex was leagues ahead of its competition in terms of ease of adding users, as well as polish. You must be forgetting how awful Jellyfin was in comparison, even just 5 years ago. I've been keeping up on Jellyfin and it's amazing how far they've come. Now Jellyfin has great theme options, a simple-to-install skip intro/outro plugin, an app option with built-in jellyseerr integration, decent collections support (still needs some work here on feature parity with Plex, but it's on the way) and with Wizarr, onboarding new users is as easy as sending an invite link, just like Plex. All this came in the last 5 years, and were pretty much requirements for my use cases.
Sure you can say that I'm picky, but Plex really was the best option until like, this year. I started to accept the need to switch when they added the social media aspect to it. They completely ignored what their users actually wanted. Since then, they've been making worse and worse decisions, which is crazy because now more than ever their competition has reached their level. Hell, by pushing all their users away, Plex is only going to accelerate the development on Jellyfin.
