Sorry, Having IMDB Accurately List Your Age Doesn't Entitle You To A Million Dollars

from the be-careful-what-you-ask-for... dept

Mon, Apr 15th 2013 7:57am — Tim Cushing

Junie Hoang has lost her lawsuit against IMDb. She sued the online database for "breach of contract" after it replaced her fake birthdate (1978) with her real one (1971). The case had a few twists and turns, most of them "wrong ways" and "dead ends."

Claiming the posting of her real birthdate to be an invasion of privacy, Hoang first pursued this suit anonymously for fear of being tossed aside by Hollywood's ageist tendencies. Unfortunately for Hoang, Judge Marsha J. Peschman told her she'd have to reveal her name to proceed with the lawsuit, finding Hoang's worries of industry blacklisting not sufficient enough to justify continued anonymity.

Now, while Hoang claimed revealing her birthdate was an invasion of privacy, she sued IMDb for breach of contract. Here's how this all went down.

Hoang signed up for a subscription service with the website called IMDb Pro... She said she initially listed a false birth year - 1978, instead of 1971 - because she usually plays characters younger than she is.

But eventually, she moved from her hometown of Houston, Texas, to the more competitive entertainment market of Los Angeles, and as what would have been her fake 30th birthday approached, she decided she didn't want any age listed on her profile.

IMDb refused to remove the age listed unless she could provide evidence that it was incorrect. She asked the company to check its records to see if it had any information that would substantiate that age.

The company did so - using her account information to find her real name, and then using her real name to conduct a public records search and discover her true age. IMDb posted her real age on her profile, over her objections.

In essence, Hoang sued IMDb for doing exactly what she asked it to do -- verify her age. She claimed this investigative work violated IMDb's privacy policy. IMDb disagreed with this assessment (along with pretty much every other claim), stating the privacy policy is in place to protect actors' contact info -- not their date of birth, and that listing the date of birth was its First Amendment right.

Hoang was seeking $1 million in damages for harm done to her career by having her real age outed. The jury was not convinced by Hoang's less-than-stellar case, as IMDb noted in its post-trial filing.

“Hoang did not present any testimony, documents, or other evidence supporting her damages allegations of lost income and profits. Neither Hoang nor her agent Joe Kolkowitz—her only two witnesses on damages—offered any testimony about future damages, and neither offered competent testimony on which a reasonable jury could base an award of damages for acting jobs allegedly lost to date.”

Perhaps her career to date made it difficult to prove a tremendous upside was being destroyed by IMDb's callous recordkeeping. As was noted earlier here at Techdirt, she has made an appearance in Penn & Teller's Bullshit! This is in addition to roles in Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver and Hoodrats 2: Hoodrat Warriors.

Of course, it isn't over until the last appeal has been exhausted and Hoang announced (pretty much as soon as the verdict was read) she will be appealing the decision. She still believes it's unfair that IMDb lists birth dates for actors and actresses and makes it harder for those of a certain age to land roles. She points out that it's illegal for employers to ask interviewees how old they are, but IMDb's listings save those in casting the trouble of skirting the law.

Whether or not another court will find this argument worth $1 million remains to be seen, especially considering Hoang's career arc to this point. She and her agent didn't seem to be too persuasive the first time around and unless they've got something more compelling than "Hollywood is ageist," this appeal will likely fail.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: age, breach of contract, imdb, junie hoang, privacy
Companies: amazon, imdb

62 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Akari Mizunashi (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 6:18am

Perhaps I'm confused, but Haong isn't ticked off at IMDB for investigating her real age, but then turning and posting the information on her page once it was discovered to be accurate than the info currently being displayed.

Normally, I would agree with her, but in this case, I can't. IMDB is used by everyone, including businesses looking for actors, and to lie on the page is no different than lying on a resume.

While it may be true one isn't asked for their age, they most certainly are asked on their job application.

If she's been lying on these job applications, she may very well be in for more trouble than she anticipated.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:08am

It's a wonder she is not charged with fraud for giving a false d.o.b.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Zakida Paul (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:08am

She is just a typical woman who lies about her age and throws a wobbly when someone points out her real one.

That is not lawsuit worthy. If it were the courts would be clogged up with such rubbish.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Lord Binky, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:08am

Re:
Not really. The fake age matches what is on her driver's licence so they'd never know it was wrong. oh wait...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:10am

"While it may be true one isn't asked for their age, they most certainly are asked on their job application."

No, they are not. It would be, in most cases, illegal to do so.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Crashoverride (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:10am

I thought it was interesting that she spent almost as much as she made on things like makeup and shoes.... Acting sounds more like a hobby than a career.

Kind of hard to sue for damages when when she couldn't show she was making much if anything prior to the real age issue.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Zakida Paul (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:11am

Re:
They are asked for DOB from which one can work out age.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Berenerd (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:11am

I am more interested in seeing the blockbuster of hers...Z: A Zombie Musical. That is obviously where she made all her money.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Lord Binky, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:12am

Re:
Only by removing all other possibilities for not being picked for roles could she accept that she may need to improve her acting skills. At least that was the intent before the never ending loop of questioning the quality of the lies and if people were finding out the truth anyways.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Scote, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:12am

Did she expect them to confirm her fake birthday?
From the TD write up it sounds like she asked IMDB to investigate under the assumption that they would evidence on line "confirming" her fake date.

If she were to win it would be effectively illegal to post true information about public figures on-line, in books, movies, tv or in magazines.

It sucks that Hollywood is ageist. But it is ironic that she wants to be judge on her *appearance* rather than her age. That is, she thinks lookism is good and agism is bad because she is lucky enough to be attractive and young looking for her age. And if actors kept their IMDB headshots accurate and current casting directors probably wouldn't be as interested in the age listing. As it is I expect they call in people with young looking head shots only to find the shots are 10 years old and taken from just the right angle and in just the right lighting to make them seem younger and better looking than they are.

It is a bit ironic for people to be talking about how age discrimination is illegal in employment when they talk about casting actors. Movie and TV casting gets a bit of a free pass on things that are normally illegal. Movies are cast based on all sorts of discrimination based on protected classes, including gender and race. So it is unclear to me whether agism is illegal for casting agents or not. I'm guessing more not illegal than illegal.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Berenerd (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:13am

Re: Re:
Plus SSN, when an employer gets back their background check and SSN info, their age is posted right on it.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymouse, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:14am

Does it really matter how old she REALLY is? When it comes down to choosing actors/actresses for a role, don't they typically cast based on what age the actor/actress 'looks'?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Lord Binky, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:18am

Re: Did she expect them to confirm her fake birthday?
I think the intent is really that the resume is thrown out by the age number without ever seeing the person, such that they have the opportunity to fit a part based on appearances and allowing for any investments in plastic surgery to assist their chances. They just want a greater chance to be 'seen' before being thrown to the curb.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:19am

Today I learned that there is not one but TWO sequels to The Gingerdead Man. I need to get to a video store, stat.

No, seriously - go watch the first Gingerdead Man movie. It's an hour and a half of Gary Busey being completely insane. I get the feeling they didn't even give him a script, they just had him rant into a microphone for a while and then dubbed it over the titular cookie-killer in post production.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

out_of_the_blue, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:20am

Okay; at least sweep QUICKLY on to the next anomaly.
While ignoring -- well, practically all else. Anything on Drudge Report is weightier. Techdirt isn't just a plain walled garden, but more of a vacuum chamber.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:21am

if keeping her age secret is so important, perhaps a different career was in order? or maybe she just likes to date toyboys, without them realising that's what they are?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:21am

Re: Okay; at least sweep QUICKLY on to the next anomaly.
It wouldn't be a vacuum chamber if you didn't suck so much and so consistently.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Scote, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:21am

Age vs. Looks
I hope some casting agents can comment in this thread but I'd venture to say that while people are cast on their looks that casting directors looking peoples photos up on IMDB take actors self-posted with a grain of salt and let the posted ages give them some context. I'd say its a fair bet that most people look younger in their photos than they do in person, and I bet that is even true of Junie Hoang, who looks younger than her age, but probably not younger than her head shots.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymouse, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:22am

Re: Okay; at least sweep QUICKLY on to the next anomaly.
Flagged for being useless praddle... wtf are you on about now?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Some Other AC (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:23am

Re: Re:
Ahhh...but there is the crux of this crappy suit. She was already lying here most likely and posting her DOB to match listing on IMDB. Now...once the SSN is given and linked to Tax documents and background checks, she would still be linked to her correct age, but if she is working for shady ass, two bit B rated productions, they may be paying under the table as well.
I think it would be absolutely hilarious if her financials were investigated for tax evasion/fraud.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:25am

I just went to her IMDb page, and it's obvious why she did not land rolls.

She looks like Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's transvestite twin.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased) (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:26am

Re:
Did she violate the CFAA and 'hack' IMDb?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Scote, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:27am

Re: Did she expect them to confirm her fake birthday?
...and I think that is a legitimate desire on the part of actors. And casting directors want to waste less of their time seeing people who aren't right for the part.

I'm not really sure who to support in this, which should we support, lookism or ageism? I want to be against ageism, but I don't really want to be saying "Yes, judge her on her **appearance**, damn you!" either.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
out_of_the_blue, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:32am

I love lamp
[ link to this | view in thread ]
WysiWyg (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:39am

Re: Okay; at least sweep QUICKLY on to the next anomaly.
Ahh, the wonders of a digital medium. It's quite possible to report on something this silly AND all the more important stuff as well. Awesome, right?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
WysiWyg (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:41am

7 years!?
When I first heard about this lawsuit I got the impression that the difference between her real age and her stated age was closer to 15-20 years. While I can understand wanting to pretend to be under 30 for a while longer, by now those 7 years can't make that much difference, can they?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Gwiz (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:42am

Re: Re: Okay; at least sweep QUICKLY on to the next anomaly.
It's just little boy Blue yapping and snapping at ankles again.

Down Blue! Bad troll!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
kog999, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:43am

I wonder if IMDB has anything in their terms of service that says information provided must be accurate. If so they should have her thrown in jail for a couple of years for exceeding authorized access.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:53am

Re:
under CISPA, when Congress are stupid enough to bring it in, removing even more freedom and privacy from 'the people', she probably will be!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:59am

Re: Re: Re: Okay; at least sweep QUICKLY on to the next anomaly.
The best part? It doesn't even come close to being an anomaly about anything. It's proof positive that he's not here to contribute, unless you consider taking a dump as contribution.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Arlo Lurker, 15 Apr 2013 @ 9:01am

Employment Law
Ugh...it always drives me up a wall when I see this. In the US at least, it is NOT illegal to ask a job applicant for their age, or their marital status, or whether or not they have kids, etc.

Because it would be very illegal to make a hiring decision based on any of these things, however, most businesses are savvy enough to not ask.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Josef Anvil (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 9:01am

Since when ????
�Hoang did not present any testimony, documents, or other evidence supporting her damages allegations of lost income and profits. Neither Hoang nor her agent Joe Kolkowitz�her only two witnesses on damages�offered any testimony about future damages, and neither offered competent testimony on which a reasonable jury could base an award of damages for acting jobs allegedly lost to date.�

Since when does Hollywood require actual proof of loss or damages????

Seems like Ms Hoang should have classified her birthdate as IP and then sued for copyright infringement.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Scote, 15 Apr 2013 @ 9:05am

Re: Employment Law
In other words, it is effectively illegal because there is no proper purpose in asking them, and only someone ignorant or malicious would do so.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Arlo Lurker, 15 Apr 2013 @ 9:11am

Re: Re: Employment Law
Ehhh...I suppose you could make that argument. I guess I'm being a little too pedantic. Just a pet peeve of mine. :(
[ link to this | view in thread ]
avideogameplayer, 15 Apr 2013 @ 9:11am

This is Hollywood...

Who gives a shit except Hollywood?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
That Anonymous Coward (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 9:19am

This is bad because Amazon!
This is bad because IMDB!
This is bad because I'm not getting work!
This is bad because people with deep pockets owe me more!
Maybe she just needs a better agent?

This is endemic of the problem we keep seeing where people refuse to accept responsibilities for their own actions.
She posted a fake age.
She thought her fake age was getting to high and wanted them to change how they operate to please her.
Because they refused to do what she wanted, they obviously owed her money.
Because all of the misfortunes this event caused were totally everyone elses fault.

If she was so upset by her age why did she ever enter one?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Phillip (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 9:33am

Re:
They can't ask your age on an application. Which is the only part of this that makes some sense. But she created the mess that she is in.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Dirkmaster (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 9:54am

She really hasn't got a prayer
I just looked at her evil IMBD entry. The VAST majority of her work has been VOICE WORK. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but her case of ageism is SERIOUSLY weakened when the part only requires your vocal chords.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 9:57am

Re: Okay; at least sweep QUICKLY on to the next anomaly.
When using words, it helps to know what they mean. Get help.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
John Fenderson (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 10:02am

Re: Re: Employment Law
But it's not effectively illegal. As another commenter pointed out, all employers do ask a question that is effectively the same as asking your age. They ask for your date of birth.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ninja (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 10:05am

Can't tell if using or being owned by Ms Streisand.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
That One Guy (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 10:17am

Re: Re: Employment Law
It's not that only 'ignorant or malicious' people would ask that during an interview(they could just be making small talk), it's that if they do ask for that information, at all, and don't hire the person afterwards it opens them up to the possibility of being sued, as the person who didn't get hired could argue(successfully or not) that the decision not to hire was based upon that, rather than whatever the reason actually was.

So it's not illegal to ask for that information, or even effectively illegal, but rather just practicality to not do so.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Joe, 15 Apr 2013 @ 10:28am

I think the real issue here is how they sourced the data. They got it from her application form correct? Does that give them the right to publish that information? Isn't there a default assumption of privacy when you fill out an application that it is between you and the other party? When she asked them to verify her age, was that also giving implicit permission to publish what they found? She doesn't seem to think so.

What if the actor in question here was a porn star (note - Ms Hoang is in no way a porn star) and they published her real name using information from an IMDB Pro application. After doing so, there were negative consequences - stalker, family troubles or an 'honour' killing. Would IMDB be liable in any way?

Obviously the million dollar damages is silly, Ms Hoang has acted in some trashy movies, women lie about their age, Hollywood is ageist, etc. But I think those are unfortunately covering up the really interesting questions being raised here.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Jesse (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 10:48am

Lying about her age online? She's a hacker! 35 years in jail.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 10:55am

Re:
That was a pretty sexist remark.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
btr1701 (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 11:07am

Re: Re: Did she expect them to confirm her fake birthday?
> I don't really want to be saying "Yes, judge
> her on her **appearance**, damn you!" either.

Why not? Television and movies are a visual medium and appearance is a valid criteria for choosing an actor to play a role.

When Spielberg cast LINCOLN do you think he considered pudgy, short Asian guys or only focused on tall, skinny white guys?

When they were casting for the new Jackie Robinson film 42, how much you want to bet only athletic-looking black guys were considered? White guys, Asians, Hispanics, women need not apply, no matter how talented they are at acting.

How an actor looks is as important to most roles as how well they act.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
tomxp411 (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 12:41pm

Re:
The entire cast of Beverly Hills 90210 says "you're right."

They were all fully-grown adults playing teenagers.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
tomxp411 (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 1:10pm

Re: She really hasn't got a prayer
Exactly. Because no one over 30 gets work in Hollywood.

Amanda Tapping din't get hired to play a soldier at 32 years old, a doctor at 42, and an angel at 47.

Lucy Lawless didn't turn 30 during the filming of a show all about two hot women who spend all their time together and totally aren't gay. Neither did she turn 40 during the filming of a groundbreaking sci-fi series.

Gina Torres didn't star on Suits, a show all about pretty, young lawyers (and one older, ugly one that is not Gina Torres) at 40 years old.

And certainly, in no universe ever, did a 46 year old Marion Ross star in the premier of a show that would become one of the most well loved television shows of all times. Happy Days are definitely yours and mine when Mrs. C is cooking dinner.

Obviously Hollywood doesn't hire actresses over 30, and this woman has been seriously wronged. Or something.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Amber, 15 Apr 2013 @ 1:45pm

Not Really Lying
Everyone is bashing her for not telling the truth about her age and calling her a liar. This is not lying, folks. This is misinformation to protect her privacy -- big difference. What, are you all black and white thinkers here? Is there no one who can understand nuanced ideas, like what defines deceit vs. what is factually true? Since this was told to those who really don't have a right or a good reason to know her age (curiosity is not a good reason), it's perfectly fine for her to give an inaccurate number. That's not deceitful; it's called protecting your privacy. They should have honored her request to keep that information private. It's her information, and she should have some control over it. I give misinformation all the time to those entities that have no valid right to my private stats. And Amber is not my real name. Does this make me a liar? Hell no. Deceit by definition means either intent to cause harm or disregarding the potential harm caused to another. There is no harm to anyone but her in this untruth. Sometimes not telling the truth is the best and most moral thing to do.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Mike Masnick (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 4:06pm

Re: Not Really Lying
Everyone is bashing her for not telling the truth about her age and calling her a liar. This is not lying, folks.

Not telling the truth is called lying.

This is misinformation to protect her privacy -- big difference.

Your age is not private information.

I give misinformation all the time to those entities that have no valid right to my private stats. And Amber is not my real name. Does this make me a liar? Hell no

Yes, actually it does. That doesn't mean it's *bad* but it does mean that you lied.

There is no harm to anyone but her in this untruth.

Perhaps. Doesn't change that it's a lie. And has no impact on the legal argument.

Sometimes not telling the truth is the best and most moral thing to do.

Sure. But that's got nothing to do with anything in this case, so not sure why you'd even bring it up.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 5:38pm

How can you possibly expect Hollywood to suppress its burning desire to learn your age !!

Maybe jockeys can conceal their weight, too - just see how the horse runs, that's the acid test. No proxies, please.

Or you could sue a john for gender discrimination if he won't...but he won't, will he, unless it's exactly that what he's there for.

Plus, don't employers need your age for legal paperwork? Do you keep your identity data private until you're hired?

And universities ask your race -- constantly, even during the application process -- pretty much to *avoid* discrimination by tracking enough statistics.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 5:48pm

Re: Re: Not Really Lying
This is misinformation to protect her privacy -- big difference.

>Your age is not private information.

Is there even a definition of private information? I would think anything you want to keep private, you have a right to try, whereas anything that anyone finds out, they have a right to publish -- absent an agreement between the parties or specific law about certain kinds of information. (There are a lot of those, though.)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 5:54pm

Re:
Or recall the discrimination case where a person from a different religion wanted to work in a church, or synagogue, or something. Can't remember as what, though.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Apr 2013 @ 7:47pm

I can barely read the comments for my annoyance with you people...

Why in heaven's name did the douches at IMDB feel they had to post this person's age when she didn't want them to? What skin off their nose was it to simply not have an age for her? Why didn't they NOT post her age simply because she asked them to not post her age? WTF? When did fucking IMDB turn into the fucking Truth Police? If she wanted another or no age on her bio, why couldn't they just put another age on the damned page? JUST BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT SHE WANTED AND ASKED THEM TO DO? Because who really fucking cares what age is on there, except the person whose age is on there?

I wonder if they laughed at her impotent rage. Bet it was a fucking hoot to them. Thanks a lot, guys, now I hate IMDB.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Bergman (profile), 15 Apr 2013 @ 8:11pm

Re: Re:
Well, they can in one specific case. If the role would require on-camera acts that would be illegal to film a minor performing, then they can ask about age and make providing proof of age a condition of employment.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
nasch (profile), 16 Apr 2013 @ 12:45pm

Re: Re: Re:
If the role would require on-camera acts that would be illegal to film a minor performing, then they can ask about age and make providing proof of age a condition of employment.

I assume in that case they could only ask "are you at least [age of consent]?"
[ link to this | view in thread ]
nasch (profile), 16 Apr 2013 @ 1:16pm

Re: Re: Re: Not Really Lying
Is there even a definition of private information?

The question is, is invasion of privacy even an actionable offense when committed by a private party (not a government)? If IMDB didn't commit any illegal act to get the information (fraud, trespass, unauthorized computer access), and the information is true, is there any way they can be liable for revealing the information publicly?

If my neighbor tells me a secret and I blog about it, is there any scenario under which I could be found liable and have to pay damages?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
RogueRye, 21 Feb 2015 @ 1:22pm

IMDB birth dates
I think the 1M lawsuit was lame. BUT now in 2015 with "IDENTITY THEFT" (and birthdate being a huge first step for criminals)Birthdates should be removed if requested. Especially by small time actors who wish it so. As a casting director I usually see the headshot/resume, call the individual in for a read and can easily tell if they are the right AGE for the part. Pretty easy to determine. So on the grounds of IDENTITY THEFT (IMDB etc) should allow individuals to REMOVE birth dates from their site.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
nasch (profile), 21 Feb 2015 @ 1:43pm

Re: IMDB birth dates
If a name and date of birth is enough to commit identity theft, there are much, much bigger problems than IMDB.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Vanessa, 21 Mar 2016 @ 1:37am

I agree with her
Many working actors would have to agree with her. Acting is not like any other profession and age will effect weather or not you get the role. Models have to put up with the same thing- in the 90s it was unheard of to ask the age of an entertainer. My advice to actors is to boycott IMDB all together- many actors do and NO we don't expect ppl outside the industry to understand this. An age "range" is what ages you can play and that is what is needed and is based on your face. To label an artist is an invasion of ones craft. I say- get an agent and everybody come off the site until they change the rules- the guild knows what I'm talking about. And NO that's not my real name up there, think I'm stupid? Peace
[ link to this | view in thread ]
nasch (profile), 21 Mar 2016 @ 6:37am

Re: I agree with her
My advice to actors is to boycott IMDB all together- many actors do and NO we don't expect ppl outside the industry to understand this... I say- get an agent and everybody come off the site until they change the rules- the guild knows what I'm talking about.

The 1st Amendment protects IMDB's right to publish factual information, even if someone else doesn't like it. So "the rules" you would have to change are the Constitution.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Tom Drake, 27 Mar 2016 @ 7:54am

Re: Re: She really hasn't got a prayer
Hasn't Jane Fonda just recently been recently wonderfully chewing scenery in The Newsroom? She's nearly 80...

...and obviously a much better actress than Junie Hoang.
[ link to this | view in thread ]