A Wyoming couple is suing the Atlanta-based rent-to-own business Aaron’s over confidentiality issues. The couple says that they were watched with a computer they were able to rent last year. The lawsuit has brought back some on-going debates about privacy and ethics in the cyber-age.
Taking a photograph from the computer
Everybody realized the problem on December 22 of last year when at the home of Brian Byrd, 26, and wife Chrystal, 24. The Casper, Wyo., store manager went to their home to try and repossess and computer they supposedly were having problems with. The rent-to-own payment hadn’t been made, the manager thought. Brian Byrd produced a receipt, but not before the manager showed them a picture, taken from the computer’s webcam, of Byrd using the computer in his home.
The lawsuit has a comment from the manager. He said he was “not supposed to disclose that Aaron’s had the photograph.”
Computer equipped with spyware
According to the suit, there was spyware loaded onto the computer that took pictures, recorded keystrokes and took screenshots.
”It feels like we were pretty much invaded, like somebody else was in our house,” Byrd said. “Crystal gets online before she gets a shower and checks her grades. Who knows? They could print that stuff off there and take it home.”
More and more ‘Kill switch’ scenarios popping up
Ohio State professor Petere Swire said that using a “kill switch” is a legal and common fraud-prevention practice in the industry, protected under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. In an emergency, it would be essential to use a kill switch to turn off the system. “But this action sounds like it’s stretching the self-defense exception pretty far,” Swire said.
Spyware designer also named in suit
The spyware was manufactured by one business based in PA. Designerware LLC is the company. In the lawsuit, Designerware was named. This is another part of the suit. Aaron’s was not a customer according to technical support Chief Tim Kelly.
Aaron’s denies it all
Aaron’s is a nationwide corporation with more than 1,140 company-owned stores and several hundred personally owned franchise stores. The company claims that the Byrds rented their computer from one of the independent franchisees and that none of the business stores use Designerware goods.
Cyber surveillance raises ethics issues
More people have noticed cyber surveillance happening. It is a much more common practice now. Computer tracking and video cameras are common in modern offices. Highways and public places almost always have cameras. Almost every cellphone has a GPS device in it. That way, we can always be monitored. And with this loss of privacy comes several questions of ethics.
“We’re already concerned that Americans are tracked, followed and spied on as never before,” said Jay Stanley of the ACLU.
Where lawmakers stand on it
Just like the do-not-call list, the Do not Track Me Online Act was just introduced. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., introduced it. The proposed legislation would stop companies from trading stored user information if the user chooses.
Articles cited
Bloomberg
bit.ly/jimOOk
News Tribune
newstribune.com/news/2011/may/04/suit-against-pc-renter-aarons-raises-privacy-quest/
PC Pitstop
techtalk.pcpitstop.com/2011/05/24/i-can-see-you-in-your-home/
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