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Plex now want to SELL your personal data (slrpnk.net)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by Sunny@slrpnk.net to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world

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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/

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[-] Selfhoster1728@infosec.pub 329 points 2 weeks ago

I don't know why everyone in the selfhosting community still even mentions Plex or uses it.

It's closed source, not free; Jellyfin is a no brainer yet people still go to Plex??

[-] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 231 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The sunken cost of buying a plexpass on sale for 39 dollars 15 years ago.

[-] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 106 points 2 weeks ago

I bought a Plex pass for 90 or something. I officially dropped Plex about 4 months ago now. For 90 bucks I got something like 8 years out of it. I'll call that a win, I don't feel like I wasted my money, I don't feel like I overpayed. Just moving on now.

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[-] akilou@sh.itjust.works 71 points 2 weeks ago

Jellyfin is hardly a no-brainer. I set it up out of curiosity a few weeks ago and my first question was how do I give access to my friends and family. So I searched, and all of the results were talking about setting up a VPN or a reverse proxy or whatever. Man, I just want to tell my mom "install this app on your tv and log in", which is exactly what Plex does.

I get that Plex is enshittifying, but pretending Jellyfin is a drop-in replacement is delusional.

[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 31 points 2 weeks ago

Jellyfin is a no-brainer. Publishing services on the Internet is complex.

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[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago

Seconded it’s not a no-brainer. I spent days trying to get it set up with Docker on two different computers and three different distros. It wouldn’t install, if it did install it had errors, if it would even open at all with anything other than a black screen. Hours trying to search how to fix it. I gave up and installed it as a standalone app on a common distro. Not as convenient, but FML it finally worked. Really felt like I wasted my time. Personally, this is the exact bullshit linux fanatics completely ignore when they insist on how great linux is vs whatever. I’ve got a shitload of patience, willpower and modest skill to try to get something like this working, but 99% of the population doesn’t. That’s why linux will stay on the back burner. And if it ever becomes just as easy as Windows…guess what? You’ll have many of the same problem as Windows.

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[-] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 52 points 2 weeks ago

For me it's PlexAmp and the few tech-illiterate friends I have who use my server for video streaming. 99% of the time, I just watch movies on my desktop with VLC player but I've yet to find a self-hosting music player half as good as PlexAmp

[-] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, the sad reality is that Plex’s setup experience is much smoother. And when you’re trying to convert people, the single largest obstacle is often social inertia. So lowering the barriers to entry is extremely important. My mother-in-law would need to sideload the Jellyfin app onto her TV, but Plex is available right on its app store.

Luckily, you can run both side by side. Jellyfin for me and my more tech-literate friends, Plex for those who don’t know/don’t care to learn.

[-] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 16 points 2 weeks ago

I have read many people say this, but I don't understand what they mean by it. When I set up Jellyfin, it was a very simple process.

[-] RedditRefugee69@lemmynsfw.com 31 points 2 weeks ago

Simplicity is relative to each person's abilities and the tool in question.

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Apparently all your friends and family are comfortable with hostnames and ip addresses. Not everyone's are. Also, not everyone wants to buy a static ip or setup a dynamic dns service or similar. Plex is definitely simpler. I have used both.

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[-] dmtalon@infosec.pub 32 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

"still even mentions plex"

I've been using plex for a LONG time, and bought a lifetime plexpass 12 years ago. I'm pretty sure I haven't started a thread on Lemmy regarding Plex, but I'm sure I'm not alone as a LONG TIME user. Plex just works for me and cost me $75 in 2013. Right now I've got no pressing reason to switch.

If they remove my plexpass features, or start showing me ads / making my user experience worse, then I'll probably look to change, and won't participate in these awful 'plex' posts.

P.S. we should encourage as much new content on Lemmy as possible if you ask me.

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[-] Jimmycakes@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago

Until jellyfin adds better user log in plex will still thrive. I do the self hosting I don't want a call every few days about they can't log in. The one click Gmail login with plex is amazing.

[-] enemenemu@lemm.ee 25 points 2 weeks ago

I don't share videos with people using google to log into any site.

[-] foggy@lemmy.world 48 points 2 weeks ago

The whole anti Google holier than thou is annoying at these levels.

Ok fine, don't use Google. But telling your friends and loved ones to switch email providers over your crusade is worse than vegans telling you about their diet.

I'm all for kicking Google to the curb. I'm not for shoving my beliefs down other people's throats.

[-] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 2 weeks ago

It's not "shoving my beliefs down other people's throats" telling them that these are the options for signing in the service I'm hosting

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[-] Marighost@lemm.ee 16 points 2 weeks ago

Agreed. I have a dozen or so people using my Plex. There is no conceivable way I'm going to get my less tech literate friends and family to use jellyfin, much less am I going to find a way to set it up for remote access with my limited knowledge. Plex is just too convenient right now.

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[-] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 19 points 2 weeks ago

i dont get this.. im technically still usin emby, but user management is beyond simple and requirs no upkeep. no one has asked me to reset their passwords and ive got a few dozen people usin my instance.

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[-] Decq@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago

Sounds more of an user problem than a jellyfin problem? If they can't remember their login I'll just not add them to jellyfin.

[-] MudMan@fedia.io 40 points 2 weeks ago

And this is why people use Plex.

I mean, all joking aside, I wish FOSS alternatives paid enough attention to UX and didn't unironically run on this sort of mentality, because I do want good open source alternatives I can use without getting annoyed or having the other people I'm trying to give access telling me that they're actually just gonna use the other thing if you don't mind.

[-] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 20 points 2 weeks ago

The overall vast majority of everyone is completely tech illiterate. We can blame them for their lack of tech skills all we want but that won’t change anything. Jellyfin needs a better UX before it’s feasible to use over Plex when sharing libraries with other users.

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[-] fargeol@lemmy.world 211 points 2 weeks ago

Relevant XKCD: https://www.xkcd.com/743/

[-] applemao@lemmy.world 57 points 2 weeks ago

Every day of my life trying to explain to friends they need to quit using spoon fed software. Sigh.

[-] pipes@sh.itjust.works 19 points 2 weeks ago

And spoonfed news, food..

[-] drspod@lemmy.ml 20 points 2 weeks ago

I think we can make an exception for soup and ice-cream, no?

[-] Jimbabwe@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

NO SOUP FOR YOU! NEXT!

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[-] Soliae@lemm.ee 76 points 2 weeks ago

Jellyfin is the way. Costs nothing other than the hardware needed and nobody is selling anything about you.

Our personal streaming library with Jellyfin is bigger than any public service and we can add to it from VHS, DVD, Blueray, though extra equipment was required for the VHS/Blueray.

It’s also available anywhere we go and we can set up separate accounts for different family members. There’s even a phone app.

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[-] flop_leash_973@lemmy.world 61 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

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.

[-] Genius@lemmy.zip 19 points 2 weeks ago

Boy am I glad I just switched to Jellyfin

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[-] mwalimu@baraza.africa 54 points 2 weeks ago

It is as if it is a general rule at this point that centralization breeds corruption. No matter how many statements people make early on in social engagements, centralization leads them to screw people depending on these systems. When making long term commitment to anything, check if it is centralized or how easy it is to unshackle yourself from it.

[-] cecilkorik@lemmy.ca 16 points 2 weeks ago

Welcome to the enshittification phase of the economy. Everything will be enshittified, even the economy itself.

[-] rfr_Foglia@feddit.it 46 points 2 weeks ago

Can someone clue me in on the reason why anyone would prefer Plex instead of Jellyfin?

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 41 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

There are a LOT of pros and cons.

Pros:

Developed by a professional, multi-disciplined full-time team with some security oversight.
Hosted caching of The Movie DB for faster lookups
Provision of SSL communication to and from your server without any special setup
FREE EPG data caching
Centralized server management from the web
Low-speed relay for those stuck behind CGNAT.
A REALLY solid mobile audio*** player (sorry, but plexamp beats the pants off the JF alternatives)
Centralized Login for your friends and family with email-based password reset
2FA already set up
A nice reflector gauge to see if your* ports are open and what your limits are
Great client support on a LOT of devices
Search is fast out of the box, even with extensive collections
Their clients tend to do a better job supporting all the decoding features on every player
Very reasonable Tuner support (but somewhat ugly) **

Cons:

Not free
Not Open
They have a lot of your historical data and will eventually sell it when they sell the company. This is not going to be optional. That data is worth a lot and they likely already have enough EULA rights to sell it to whoever asks. Imagine if the MPAA gets in on the fun.
Their security history is quite dicey
The lifetime membership will eventually be enshitified as it's not economically sound in the long run
They constantly change the terms of the agreement.
They constantly remove features people are using
They constantly push to share data between users
They constantly push Ads
They are making previously free features pay.
Their investors are starving, which makes them a liability.
Their clients are generally slower.

edit: * a word ** forgot to shout out for the tuner support *** replaced media with audio for clarity

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[-] CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world 46 points 2 weeks ago

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..

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[-] Xanza@lemm.ee 44 points 2 weeks ago

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.

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[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 30 points 2 weeks ago

Aww come on guys, my JF boner can only handle so much /s

Seriously though, why did they even give you the option to disagree, you know they're just going to force it 3-6 months.

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[-] moseschrute@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago

Just downloaded Jellyfin! Been a Plex user for years. Noticed they’ve stated to add a lot of crap to the Plex interface. I just want to stream my media library. I’m a little disappointed that Jellyfin doesn’t have a native Apple TV app, but SenPlayer looks really nice and their price model is a one time fee. So no subscriptions!

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[-] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago

Selling IP address info. Huh.

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[-] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks ago

If you're watching their "free" content and agree to that box...

The title made it seem waaaaay worse than what the screenshot actually says

[-] frezik@midwest.social 21 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

"Hashed emails". Besides the fact that they can match up a hash from one source to a hash from another source to link them to the same person (they never said they'd salt them), emails often have enough predictability to break the hash. Assuming they all end in "@gmail.com", "@outlook.com", or "@yahoo.com" will get you the vast majority of emails out there. Unlike a good password scheme, people don't shove a lot of random data into their email addresses.

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[-] Jhex@lemmy.world 19 points 2 weeks ago

Man Plex when fully enshitified FAST!

[-] unemployedclaquer@sopuli.xyz 16 points 2 weeks ago

best bet for your home theater PC is STILL old computer parts with high capacity storage

[-] flightyhobler@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago

Last shit they pulled I moved to Jellyfin. Today I deleted my Plex account.

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this post was submitted on 29 May 2025

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