MoviePass competitor Sinemia is demanding customers send 2 forms of ID to unlock their accounts, and some are outraged

Pixar

• On Thursday, movie-ticket subscription service Sinemia, a competitor to MoviePass, sent out an email to some subscribers notifying them that to continue using the service they would have to send two forms of identification to the company.
• Until then, the ticketing feature on their account will be turned off, according to the email obtained by Business Insider.
• To reactivate it, subscribers have to upload a government-issued picture ID as well as a picture of themselves next to the ID to allow "facial confirmation of the ID."
• In the email, Sinemia stated it was doing this to "verify their identities to help keep Sinemia sustainable and affordable."
• But subscribers are upset. The email was posted on Reddit and one person, who also received the email, commented, "It's a movie watching subscription, not a Homeland Security application."

On Thursday, some subscribers of the movie-ticket subscription service, Sinemia, were sent an email by the company demanding two forms of identification to "verify their identities to help keep Sinemia sustainable and affordable."

The email, obtained by Business Insider, said the recipient would have his or her ticketing feature turned off until Sinemia received the documents. And the requirements are steep.

According to the email, first the Sinemia subscriber has to upload a picture of a government-issued ID. Then the subscriber has to send another picture holding the ID next to his or her face "to allow for facial confirmation of the ID document."

Sinemia has a whole page explaining the right way to do this on the FAQ section of its website:

Sinemia

If the subscriber doesn't upload the forms of ID, Sinemia said it could lead to the termination of the account. And until the pictures are received, the account will have its ticketing feature locked.

Read more: MoviePass and Sinemia are battling to sign up movie-theater chains for new custom subscription plans

Numerous Sinemia subscribers sent Business Insider the email, upset they had to go through these kinds of hoops to use the service. The email was also uploaded to Reddit, and comments ranged from people saying, "It's a movie watching subscription, not a Homeland Security application," to one person saying the picture on her ID is so old she doesn't look like it anymore.

This is just the latest headache for many Sinemia subscribers. Over 150 subscribers have contacted Business Insider to complain about various aspects of the service, from hidden fees to technical glitches to unresponsive customer service.

Some Sinemia subscribers have even filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, alleging that it ripped them off with new fees. Sinemia has seven different ways it charges customers.

Sinemia did not respond to requests to comment.