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Last night a federal judge in Seattle ruled that a lawsuit brought by an actress who accused the online film and TV database for posting her birthdate in her bio without her permission will go to trial. U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman denied summary judgment from IMBb on Junie Hoang’s breach of contract claim (read the full ruling here), meaning the case will go forward to an April 8 trial date. The core claim makes the central issue of the case whether the site enables age discrimination in the entertainment biz with its policy of posting ages on individuals’ web pages.
In the original lawsuit filed in October 2011, Huang claimed she attempted to increase her exposure on the website in 2008 by subscribing via credit card to IMDb Pro. She changed her name and didn’t reveal her age when providing information for her profile. Soon after joining, her age appeared on the site, revealing info she claims harms her chances of landing film roles. Huang claimed the site performed record searches using her credit card information to obtain her age and did not remove the information when she requested it. Amazon called the suit “frivolous.” But then-separate unions SAG and AFTRA backed Huang’s action, saying that when actual ages are posted “they become known to casting personnel, the 10+ year age range that many [actors] can portray suddenly shrinks and so do their opportunities to work”.
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GOOD! I hope this actually goes somewhere and can start changing the way iMDB conducts business. I have been wanting to alter information on my page after it has been posted, but they refuse to remove information even if you ask because they claim that since it is factual then it needs to stay. They were also stating that iMDB is not a resume. Well, it actually is. I have encountered more people asking me about my iMDB page than my actual resume. It is a source of information and we should have the ability to add or remove what we choose.
I agree 100% and hope they extend this to anyone on the imdb site It should not be limited to only actors but to anyone with information that is accessed. Age discrimination affects all the crafts and should never be used without the individuals consent. I have requested that that information be removed over 100 times and it in constantly refused.
I hope she wins and IMDB finally removes ages if the person wishes.
I agree with Huang, Sag and Aftra, my age was posted without my permission and it takes an act of GOD to remove it. IMDB doesn’t give a crap, but it hurts us actors.
SHE HAS TO WIN!! FOR EVERYONE IN THIS BUSINESS
Imdb should allow users to control which photos appear in their photo section. Someone posted a picture to my account and I cannot, for the life of me, get it removed. Come on imdb – help out the struggling actors that make your site the powerhouse that it is. At least allow us to control what pictures appear in our profile’s photo section on imdb. Please, we’re begging you. Imagine if your work profile had photos you didn’t like that OTHER people submitted and you couldn’t remove them. Now magnify that by putting it on imdb which everyone uses and is also used as an employment resource. Let us control our age being displayed and which photos are displayed, pretty please!
IMDB is the WORST-run business. Shocking that Amazon allows it to be run as shitty as it is once they acquired it. When a client was threatened with a lawsuit over misinformation in his bio – that they had never written, IMDB refused to take it off over normal channels. After weeks of their ignoring us I finally found a fax to the legal dept of IMDB up in Seattle, told them that if we were getting sued, THEY were getting sued, and they took the info off the next day. Shame on you IMDB! There is no one to contact there regarding information, no one to actually reach when you have an issue or special circumstance, and regardless of how much information is thrown at them, they need to figure out a way to improve this process.
Please, please can they bring up the fact that many, many actors & actresses don’t have an age on their pages, AT ALL. So it isn’t a level playing field and of course age discrimination happens. How can I compete with a fellow artist whose 1st idiot agent DIDN’T stick up their age on the site back in 1999? Or a smart one who put their client as 10 yrs younger? This case has got to have legs. Imdb is a nightmare.
i hope she kicks their corporate ass good.
Birth records are a matter of public record. If the information is legally obtained, she has no leg to stand on. IMDB is correct. It is factual much like a newspaper, encyclopedia, almanac, or dictionary. IMDB doesn’t want to garner the (dis)reputation of a site like Wikipedia where anyone can change the information.
I’m hearing the pain here but it sounds like a tough issue. If you can force IMDB to take it down, who else can you start censoring? Should the press be banned from reporting a birthdate or age? And if they do, should Google be banned from finding that article if someone searches for it? If we’re willing to go that far, how about banning or allowing folks to request mandatory removals of negative reviews?
None of that sounds right. There may be a case here though of IMDB improperly using financial information (credit history). That’s information provided under specific rules and there should be penalties if it is misused.
This is the one and only intelligent comment here. While I tend to doubt IMDb went to the trouble of looking for that information via credit records (let’s face it, she’s a nobody in the industry and I don’t see it being worth the effort even if it were legal) if they did then that is the issue here. You are dead on in that the posting of factually correct information is no different than a journalist doing same. Do you think Nixon wanted Woodward and Bernstein to print the factually correct information which blew Watergate wide open?
I also have difficulty with the idea that this can/will lead to age discrimination. First of all, it’s very difficult to prove based on how acting “jobs” are obtained and how many subjective factors are included. It’s not as though this is a banking job where one can see clear differences based on a business resume. Secondly, it seems that all that’s happening is that there might be a shifting of available jobs but no fewer available jobs. If IMDb lists you as 35 and you aren’t brought in for 25yr old jobs as a result (even if you look young) then you’ll be brought in for 35yr old jobs. Finally, if one has a halfway decent agent and/or manager, this won’t matter because they will be pushing you for jobs that they think you are right for and will fight to get you in based on the age you can play vs. the year you were born.
In the end I hope Amazon’s lawyers shred her to make a point that the First Amendment is far more important than a self-absorbed actress’s failed screen career and her unwillingness to take any responsibility for that.
” If IMDb lists you as 35 and you aren’t brought in for 25yr old jobs as a result (even if you look young) then you’ll be brought in for 35yr old jobs. ”
Wow, you do not get how this town works at all.
Too bad, the beginning of your comment was good, but then you showed you no not of which you speak.
You have to live here and be in the trenches to know.
WINNING is a must! No company should be allowed to request, demand and especially disclose ANYONE’S age (if the person volunteers age) under any circumstance without written permission. It’s literally “profiling” and must be stopped. Age discrimination at it’s finest. ALL companies must NOT be permitted to ask your age. Period. Win, win go girl!
Another storm in a teacup. There is no privacy any more. Get used to it. When all’s said and done, the truth won’t go away, and lies will. Your age, your health, the nature of your sickness, your height, your weight, the natural color of your hair, your sexuality, your use of body enhancements, your income, your debts, your criminal history, your court records, your marriages, your lovers, your citizenship, your parents, your credits, your car, your home, your children, and why you died. Nobody’s kidding anyone any more. The more we’re different, the more we’re the same. Set me up or bail me out is what we cry. Only one thing matters in the end. SPELL MY NAME RIGHT.
This piece of fluff gets a trial date, whilst gross violations of the constitution, civil rights and numerous other crimes, never even see a court.
Why not make a movie about it, and the IMDB will legitimately list it!
IMDB is hardly the definitive source for information and they prove it almost daily. IMDB does show that Ms. Hoang has 99 titles to her filmography credit, so it’s not like she’s losing work. If she is the age she says she is, that’s a lot of work for someone that age.
On the other hand, an “accepted” convention in business press (newspapers, Fortune, etc.) is to often list a person’s age as part of the story. Example: “Marissa Mayer, 37, recently took over the role of CEO at Yahoo”. So while an actor’sage may be a sensitive topic and something that could hurt getting some roles, it is probably unrealistic to assume it can be kept confidential.
But even with that, IMDB should abide by the wishes of the subjects listed in its database and modify the information accordngly, whether age, birthplace, or or personal information. As long as the person making the request can prove they are, indeed, the “listing” in question.
Good. If you want to find out how old Tom Cruise is then Google it. The majority of actors on imdb are working actors. The website is a valuable tool for representation, casting, actors, etc…
It is completely unnecessary to post this info on imdb. It is hard enough for non ‘name’ actors to get jobs in this business.
I use imdb religiously as a manager. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to correct any inaccurate info. I have a client whose age is posted as four years older than she actually is (I have seen her birth certificate) – we have tried everything to correct this, yet imdb has completely ignored our requests.
It amazes me that a company as reputable as Amazon would have such horrible ‘customer service’ when it comes to imdb!
Oh my god, old people will suddenly start playing young people! We care, why exactly? Does an actor’s credibility suddenly crumble away because they’re not really the age they’re portraying? Does it make them a worse actor? Does knowing their age make them a worse actor? Really, this isn’t an issue with IMDB, it’s a viewer problem. It’s the product of a superficial culture that wants to believe in fairytales, in a false reality so religiously that the truth becomes unbearable.
It’s not just movie stars. Just imagine how much easier your life would be if you didn’t have to drudge over beauty standards. Now do it. If some people don’t like you anymore, then they weren’t your friends to begin with. You’ll meet new ones, genuine people who care about who you really are, not the mask you wear. Helps built up a healthy self-esteem.
Live and let live.
For a website that you all claim is fraught with bad information…it sure seems like you all use it a lot!
Welcome to the 21st century and the Internet, information will get free, time to get used to it, even you entertainment industry.
I don’t know about other stuff that people complain on IMDB. Maybe they should be changed. But in this particular case – if you are an actor/actress, public person – they you have no rights to complain that they posted your age. You chose this profession, when you will appear on screen and show everything of you – story of your life, pictures of your body, if you will become popular then everyone will know everything about you – and you have no right to complain that they showed your age.
If she didn’t want her age to be known then she should have chose other profession. I’m sick that 30 years old pretend to be 17-years old school kids. But at least I can go to IMDB and see their age. I don’t want them to lie to me that they are 17 for real.
I sent this correction to IMDb.
“Some people think I’m 80, over the hill, weigh 300 lbs and can barely see, let alone walk. Actually, I am 45, Greek, of royal birth, and an Olympic athlete with a black belt in Judo. I can speak 14 languages, and make love multiple times without a break if the scene calls for it. I have worked 12 times for Spielberg (I’m his favorite), mostly doing my own stunts. I need work. Here’s my number, in case CAA doesn’t return the call.”
IMDb hasn’t made this correction.
Good for her. IMDB should show flexibility here since it’s her life and her career. What none have mentioned here, too, is that an exposed DOB can be start of a nasty identity-fraud case. True, this information can be had elsewhere, but IMDB makes it too available, too tempting.
Year of birth and date of birth are very, very different. You know, DOB actually has a day and month attached to it.
Sorry, but I agree with amazon – this is a frivolous lawsuit.
We shouldn’t be helping or encouraging people to LIE about their actual ages, but instead should be demanding that the film industry stop DISCRIMINATING based on a person’s age. Continuing to perpetuate the discrimination by lying about your age, or hiding that information, is NEVER going to bring about change.
Just because you’re 40, doesn’t mean you don’t actually look a lot younger – just like if you’re 25 doesn’t mean you don’t actually look a hell of a lot older. The industry should be basing their hiring on whether or not an actor/actress LOOKS young/old enough to play the part, not based on their actual age.
SAG and AFTRA should be fighting for actors, yes, but NOT fighting to keep public information concealed. They should be fighting by protesting the industry’s age discrimination.