They are not obligated. However, I'm fairly sure banks aren't obligated by law to send you statements* - they certainly aren't obligated to let you download them in, say, quicken format (who could be seen as a competitor). It's just such a big feature that no one would do business with a bank that didn't offer it.
Similiarly Netflix's APIs add value for customers, and apps and outboard memory are/have been a big part of Netflix for me. Will loosing that make me leave? I don't know - but clearly this is a major downgrade in their service.
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* It looks like they pretty much are obligated by law - thanks benatkin.
I've been under the impression that it's required by law that banks send statements, because I've been presented with the option to receive electronic statements but never with the option to not receive statements at all. I searched and found a U. S. government site where it says that statements are required for accounts that have EFTs (which seem to include debit cards). So my bank is obligated to send me statements. http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/get-answers/bank-accounts/gene...
I get an email each month, that I don't think I can opt out of, that says "New (name of bank) eStatements Available" and links me to the bank's website, where I can view and download it.
You're probably right that they aren't legally obligated to provide transaction data in a machine-readable format.
I agree, bank statements are not a good comparison simply because you have an agreement with the bank to store your money. In that type of agreement there would have to be some form of obligation to report your holdings in their bank.
banks used to that to gain customers. Some time ago, every developer working at banks knew that customers were measured in cost per customer. You'd had the cost to please them, and then you'd make money investing their money.
then, fast forward a measly decade, and banks are seen as obligatory. nobody things about NOT having their money in a bank. So banks drop all of the benefits, and we start to measure clients as profit per account. banks now are profiting from investing your money AND holding that money for you just because you never though about not paying the bank.
So, that's the time when we started to have some regulations and minimal service the bank's supposed to provide.
It seems unfair to me to paint all banks with this broad brush... credit unions, and even some traditional banks, are quite worthwhile. There is a lot of competition in retail banking.
No, it is not your data. If it were to reside on your server and be collected by your application/code/whatever then it would by your data. You willingly provided them information that they then collect to use for whatever reasons they deem fit. From my point of view your two statements contradict each other. If it is your data then Netflix does have an obligation to act as your memory when you ask them to do so. Since you agree that they have no such obligation then you clearly point out that it is, in fact, not your data.
By "my data" I'm referring to the information which my brain processed/generated. I watched it, I rated it. That Netflix obtained a copy of that information incidental to our interaction does not obligate them to give me access to their copy, any more than I am obligated to Netflix to provide them with a list of what I've watched should their servers "forget".
I think this is a disagreement on the definition of data in this example. I am speaking of ownership of the data in question.
True, you provided the information. But, to me at least, since Netflix is the one who collected it and are actively storing it then it is their data in terms of ownership. Unless there is some language somewhere that states that Netflix is storing this data on your behalf it belongs to them to do with as they please.
For me it seems that you are referring to the data as something you provided and I'm referring to it as something Netflix collected and is storing. These two ideas do not necessarily contradict each other.
If you go to a site and sign up for their newsletter, that data now belongs to them. If you go to your Google Docs account and type the same information into a text file to store there then that data belongs to you. The difference being is that Google Docs is storing that data for you, while the other is not.
Netflix could easily say that you do get your cut by them being able to lower prices due to any income stream they manage to get from the data they collect. Realistically that's the only way it could work unless you're suggesting that Netflix should pay you for watching their service.
> What you've watched & thought of it is, of course, your data.
And you have always been free to write that down in your own notes, if you wish, however you wish. Some folks actually keep their own simple written text notes on what movies they've seen and want to see. same with books, albums, etc. It's free, fast and simple, and nobody has or probably can take that ability away from you.
What you've watched & thought of it is, of course, your data.
However, Netflix is in no way obligated to act as your memory in when & whatever manner you demand.