Netflix has been sued in a class-action claim because of what plaintiffs say were privacy violations stemming from a contest that used customers’ ratings to help improve the movie-rental service’s recommendation system. The company also tweaked its website to make its videostreaming service slightly more prominent.

Claimants are seeking $2,500 each for the estimated 2.5 million Netflix subscribers who submitted movie ratings during 2006, the year the contest was started, according to a Dec. 17 filing in the US court in California’s Northern District.

Netflix said the company protects its subscribers’ personal information but didn’t comment further on the ratings lawsuit.

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