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You buy, I spy? Say it loud and clear |
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I’ve seen very little coverage except on a few obscure tech
sites of the news earlier this month of Sears’ settlement with the Federal
Trade Commission over charges involving the retailer’s surreptitious use of
spyware.
I’ve also found it impossible to get attorneys to comment on
the significance of the outcome. But I imagine that this is a shot across the
bow of any company that’s doing something similar, i.e., loading customers’
computers with spyware after getting them to sign up to join a “community” without
disclosing the fact, except in obscure fine print, that their Internet use will
be tracked.
In other words, companies must clearly disclose what they’re
doing or the Feds will come after them, in which case they’ll face the cost of
a legal battle with Uncle Sam and a potential black eye with the public. Who
needs that?
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