BTW, I read through the TiVo Privacy Policy, and it's possible to remove oneself from having your viewing choices uploaded, *if* you're a TiVo Plus customer (as opposed to TiVo Basic).

http://www.tivo.com/5.11.asp

According to section 4.1 of the Privacy Policy:

] If you are a TiVo Plus customer and you would like to change
] your privacy preferences, you must either (a) send TiVo a
] signed written request at the address set forth in Section
] 8.3, or (b) call us at 1-877-367-8486 to request a change.

I called the number, got put on hold for an hour (literally), and then had to have the billing rep dig through her books to figure out how to do it, but she did indeed figure out how to let me "opt out" and switch my TiVo to "receive information, but don't upload it back" mode. I've also requested confirmation, in writing, that they did so (that was something that they said they'd do in section 4.2 of the Policy, but no one at cust-serv knew how to do it -- but I quoted them chapter and verse, and they eventually figured it out).

Overall, took about an hour and a half, but I did get things turned back to "private" mode in a relatively painless manner.

Part of what bothered me about the uploads wasn't just what TiVo would do with the information, but what someone could do if they tapped into the line and listened to the stream. And though I don't really have that big of a problem with someone knowing which shows I watch, the idea that they're tracking it to the degree of knowing which parts I fast forward over, and which segments I like to replay over and over, bothers me. And as for the upload stream, is the info encrypted? I have no idea. So, I'll opt for privacy, and now I can watch my Superbowl pr0n in peace. :)

RE: Mercury News | TiVo to sell data on viewing habits of subscribers