the age game

California Just Passed a Law Requiring IMDb to Remove Ages Upon Request

Photo: IMDb

In an effort to combat ageism in the entertainment industry, California governor Jerry Brown has signed into legislation a law requiring IMDb and other paid databases to remove a subscriber’s age and birth date upon request. (Definitely more efficient than individually filing lawsuits.) The law, authored by California majority leader Ian Calderon and backed by SAG-AFTRA, becomes effective January 1. “Even though it is against both federal and state law, age discrimination persists in the entertainment industry,” Calderon said in a statement. “AB 1687 provides the necessary tools to remove age information from online profiles on employment referral websites to help prevent this type of discrimination.” Others, like the Internet Association’s Michael Beckerman, oppose the law for legalizing the removal of factual information from the internet instead of addressing the underlying ageist motivations necessitating its removal. Either way, no longer will roles go specifically to very young, incredibly thin, perfectly symmetrical performers. Let the rise of the slightly older, incredibly thin, perfectly symmetrical performer begin!

IMDb Now Required to Remove Ages Upon Request