WSJ.com - TiVo Tunes In To Its Users' Viewing Habits

WSJ.com - TiVo Tunes In To Its Users' Viewing Habits "TiVo insists that it respects the privacy of its users by keeping data about them anonymous unless users expressly permit otherwise. The company says as it receives a stream of information from viewers' DVRs, it filters out identifying information to keep the data anonymous. "We're very serious about this stuff," says Matt Zinn, TiVo's general counsel and chief privacy officer. "We know the capabilities that this technology can afford."
Still, some privacy experts say TiVo users are forced to take the company's word that it's not violating its own policies. "What they're saying is, 'You have to trust us,' " says Richard Smith, a privacy and security consultant, who has examined TiVo's technology. " 'We're going to snoop on you, but we will disconnect all that information we have about you from your actual identity.' "