IMDb changes policies, ending age discrimination fight with SAG-AFTRA and others

The popular film and TV database IMDb has handed a win to SAG-AFTRA and other lobbyists after a decades-long fight over the right to disclose actors’ ages.

IMDb, a go-to site for movie trivia, will now give those who have a profile on the website the option to decide whether to disclose demographic data such as their age or alternate names, the Amazon- owned company said Tuesday.

The decision follows a decade-long legal battle led by Hollywood’s biggest union to give performers greater control over the information shared on Hollywood’s version of LinkedIn.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher celebrated IMDb’s decision.

“This means professionals can choose how they want to represent themselves to fans and industry decision-makers,” Drescher said in a statement. “This is a major step forward in championing diversity and providing many more opportunities for talent from all backgrounds to be discovered and hired by entertainment industry decision-makers.”

The fight centered largely on whether actors could stop the website from revealing their ages, a bugbear for some performers who believed disclosing such personal information invaded their privacy and might discourage some employers from hiring them for roles.

SAG-AFTRA has been pushing the free website to stop publishing actors’ ages since 2011. The union lobbied in support of a 2017 law that allowed performers to request the removal of age-related information but it was struck down.

But in 2018 a California court ruled that the law was unconstitutional, handing a victory to IMDb after it sued then-California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and SAG-AFTRA. That ruling was upheld in 2020 by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Despite the legal victory, Amazon agreed to a series of changes Tuesday after collaborating with the union and other groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, Women in Film and GLAAD.

Now, any entertainment industry professional with an existing IMDb name page can join its premium website, IMDbPro, and chose whether
their age, birth name or other personal information is displayed, at no cost. They can also opt into identifying other information such as their gender identity, race or ethnicity, disabilities, and sexual orientation.

“This means professionals can choose how they want to represent themselves to fans and industry decision-makers,” Drescher said.

IMDb said the move was part of its bid to support progress toward more equitable hiring in the entertainment industry and its effort to be the most authoritative source of entertainment information.

The move was also cheered by LGBTQ activists.

“By empowering queer professionals to represent themselves authentically, these IMDb product and policy updates represent a major milestone in helping Outfest and other LGBTQ+ arts organizations discover queer professionals to support through our programs,” said Damien S. Navarro, executive director of Outfest, in a statement.