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California Decrees That IMDb Must Remove Actors’ Ages on Request

Governor Jerry Brown signed the legislation yesterday.
California Decrees That IMDB Must Remove Actors’ Ages on Request
IMDb

You might be disappointed the next time you head to IMDb to find out when an actor was born. Governor of California Jerry Brown has signed legislation requiring the well-known database (and others like it) to excise that information when requested to do so by the person in question. Majority Leader Ian Calderon (D-Whittier), who authored the legislation, did so in an attempt to curb age-based discrimination in the film industry.

READ MORE: IMDB Voters Attacking Indie Film Scores: Why Are Small Movies Like ‘Kicks’ Getting Such Hate?

“Age discrimination is a major problem in our industry, and it must be addressed,” SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said in a September 16 post. “SAG-AFTRA has been working hard for years to stop the career damage caused by the publication of performers’ dates of birth on online subscription websites used for casting like IMDb.” Sites such as IMDb will now have five days to comply with removal requests.

READ MORE: How Female-Led TV Shows Are Being Negatively Skewed By Men Online

“SAG-AFTRA has been working hard for years to stop the career damage caused by the publication of performers’ dates of birth on online subscription websites used for casting like IMDb and StudioSystem,” the organization said in a statement released after Brown signed the legislation yesterday. “Currently, many websites used for casting proactively present birthdates and ages to casting decision makers who often can’t avoid seeing this information even if they try. This law will help improve the working lives of all SAG-AFTRA members and aspiring performers.”

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