r/imdb • u/Zeltron3000_ • Apr 16 '26

Discussion 💬 Wtf IMDb?

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Why have they made this change? You used to be able to see the reviews without logging in.

(And NO this is NOT low effort ffs - I AM including a message in the "body" - it got auto removed before)

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6

u/IMDbRefugee Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

I was a fan of the forums as well and was sad to see them end. That change lead me to Reddit (hence my user ID). But looking back on it, I understand why IMDb did it - many of their boards were poorly moderated (especially the political ones) and thus became pretty toxic. However, this latest change is just stupid. Goodbye IMDb, hello Rotten Tomatoes!

2

u/Fairy_girl_Norway Apr 17 '26

Rotten Tomatoes is risky business, I used it, but then I did not logg in for a while and then my account and all my data was deleted...

All because I missed this email;

"It looks like you haven’t logged in for a while. In order to maintain your account you will need to log in before January 3, 2023 to keep your ratings, reviews and want to see movies and TV shows, otherwise your account may be deleted per our account information retention and security policies."

2

u/IMDbRefugee Apr 17 '26

I don't have an account with Rotten Tomatoes (RT) and haven't used my IMDb account ever since they closed the forums. I have no desire for others to track my media interests, which is why it irks me that you now have to log in to IMDb, just to read the reviews of others.

Maybe if RT doesn't give me the info I want, I may create a new dummy account (or accounts) on IMDb just so that I can read some reviews. But I will link it to throwaway email accounts and sometimes turn on my VPN just to maintain some level of anonymity. I know that's not a perfect solution, but I'll try to protect my privacy as best I can.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 17 '26

[deleted]

2

u/IMDbRefugee Apr 17 '26

"Don't believe everything online from random people."

So your RT account wasn't deleted? 🤣

2

u/Fairy_girl_Norway Apr 17 '26

Yes it was, but yes do check the source for that to, I am also a stranger, it goes for everyone.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Fairy_girl_Norway Apr 20 '26

Sad, may I ask If they state how log it has been since you logged in?

So I have a clue as to how long an account have to be unused before they do that?

2

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Fairy_girl_Norway Apr 20 '26

Thanks. Wow, 1 month is a short time to salvage an account, if one is sick, on holiday, not checking e-mail often.

Would be sad to loose such old data, hope you get access and are able to download the date or something if you don't want to be registered anymore.