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Your Stars Are Not the Public Score

Understand the difference between your selected stars, public rating totals and scores from named external sources. Check the right signal before deciding that an account action has leaked or disappeared.

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By the Cineby team · Published · Updated

01Own state is personal
02Totals can be public
03Read each score’s label

Identify which number you are looking at

A title can display external audience scores, a site-wide total and your own selected rating control. These are separate pieces of information. Read the label and the selected state rather than treating every star-shaped element as the same value.

Public totals may be visible to visitors who are signed out. This does not mean those visitors are seeing another account’s selected stars or personal folder membership.

Read the three layers separately

LayerDescribesCan remain visible after logout?
External scoreA named source’s audience evaluationYes, as public title information
Community totalActivity aggregated across usersYes
Your selected starsAn action in your signed-in accountThey should stop appearing as your selection

Test a personal action with the correct expectation

After rating a title, reopen it while signed in to the same account. Your control should reflect your own selection. Another account can see the public aggregate without having the same personal selection.

Use the favourites and folders guide for saved marks, and the watchlist guide when the question is how to organise choices rather than how to score them.

Report a mismatch with enough context

If your own selected stars fail to match, note the title URL, the action you took and whether you had just signed in or out. Reload once before reporting so the page can refresh its personal state.

Start with Help or open your account. Keep passwords, verification codes and cookies out of the report; they are not needed to explain a rating display problem.