IMDb is not user-edited.
The Internet Movie Database -LRB- abbreviated IMDb -RRB- is an online database of information related to films , television programs and video games , including cast , production crew , fictional characters , biographies , plot summaries , trivia and reviews , operated by IMDb.com , Inc. , a subsidiary of Amazon .. Amazon. Amazon.com. Launched in 1990 by computer programmer Col Needham , the company was incorporated in the UK as Internet Movie Database Ltd in 1996 with revenue generated through advertising , licensing and partnerships .. Col Needham. Col Needham. In 1998 it became a subsidiary of Amazon Inc. , who were then able to use it as an advertising resource for selling DVDs and videotapes .. Amazon. Amazon.com. , IMDb has approximately million titles -LRB- including episodes -RRB- and million personalities in its database , as well as 75 million registered users .. The site enables registered users to submit new material and edits to existing entries .. Although all data is checked before going live , the system has been open to abuse and occasional errors are acknowledged .. Users are also invited to rate any film on a scale of 1 to 10 , and the totals are converted into a weighted mean-rating that is displayed beside each title , with online filters employed to deter ballot-stuffing .. weighted mean. Weighted arithmetic mean. ballot-stuffing. ballot-stuffing. The site also featured message boards which stimulate regular debates and dialogue among authenticated users .. IMDb shutdown the message boards permanently on February 20 , 2017 .. Anyone with an internet connection can view the movie and talent pages of IMDb .. A registration process is necessary however , to contribute info to the site .. A registered user chooses a site name for themselves , and is given a profile page .. This profile page also shows how long a registered user has been a member , as well as personal movie ratings -LRB- should the user decide to display them -RRB- , and is also awarded badges representing how many contributions any particular registered user has submitted .. These badges range from total contributions made , to independent categories such as photos , trivia , bios , etc. .. If a registered user or visitor happens to be in the entertainment industry , and has an IMDb page , that user / visitor can add photos to that page by enrolling in IMDbPRO .