Netflix is reportedly testing a new feature that would enable users to hide the titles they’ve been watching for fear of embarrassment.

Janko Roettgers at GigaOm shares this statement from Netflix’s Cliff Edwards:

“At Netflix we continuously test new things. In this case, we are testing a feature in which a user watching a movie or TV show can choose to view in “Privacy Mode.” Choosing that option means the program will not appear in your viewing activity log, nor will it be used to determine recommendations about what you should watch in the future.”

That bit about not using it for recommendations is probably as good a reason as any to provide users with such a feature. Even if you’re not trying to hide what you’ve been watching, you may want to keep some titles out of the pool of inspiration for what Netflix thinks you should watch in the future.

Maybe you have a guest over and watch something that you’d otherwise never watch in a million years, but don’t necessarily want to bother with a different profile. Just watch it in private mode, and don’t worry about it polluting your own. Of course, that might create an awkward situation between you and your guest.

Either way, Netflix might as well give people the option to view titles this way. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask for. It’s not as if they’re launching features all the time.

Image via Netflix