Netflix is in your computer, in your tablet, your phone, your TV…and now, it wants to be in your shoes.
The streamer is seeking users’ permission to track their movements, a tech security researcher noticed this week. The researcher, who goes by BetoOnSecurity, tweeted that Netflix had sought permission to access his Android phone’s physical activity sensors.
Hey @netflix why does your Android app want physical activity data? pic.twitter.com/Lv0QUL0w9g
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— Beto on Shrooms on Security, Shitter of Posts (@BetoOnSecurity) July 27, 2019
A company spokesperson confirmed to The Next Web that the request is part of a test Netflix is running to help it improve video quality when a user is in motion.
“We are continually testing ways to give our members a better experience,” the spokesperson said. “This was part of a test to see how we can improve video playback quality when a member is on the go.”
As The Next Web points out, this test appears to be Netflix seeing what it can do with a new update to Android’s upcoming 10th iteration of its operating system, called Android Q. An update coming in with that operating system (which is currently in beta) includes sensor data, which can be used by apps to “classify the user’s physical activity, such as walking, biking, or moving in a vehicle.”
To be clear, Netflix doesn’t appear to be getting any geolocation information from Android. If you’re part of the test and choose to allow it to track your physical motion, it doesn’t know where you’re walking to; it just knows that you’re walking.
Exactly what Netflix could do to improve playback quality for people who are walking, or running on a treadmill, or commuting isn’t yet clear. Gizmodo notes that Netflix previously tested products that paused a program automatically if it noticed a user had fallen asleep while watching, so it’s possible something like that is in the works — a future feature where Netflix might pause if it detects an overwhelming amount of movement from the user. Or, on the commuting side, it might even be possible Netflix is working toward a feature that will detect when a user is driving and subsequently freeze their ability to play shows for the duration of their trip. That’s not too far a stretch, considering the number of people who admit they watch Netflix while they’re behind the wheel.
In any case, this experiment, like a number of others Netflix has run, is only a test, and the company spokesperson told The Next Web that, “Only some accounts are in the test, and we don’t currently have plans to roll it out.”
