Vermont Goes Opt-In, Corps Unhappy

jeffy124 writes: "Beginning Feb 15, a new Vermont consumer protection law takes effect requiring companies doing business with people in VT to require opt-in before they can sell/share that customer's personal information. Naturally, companies aren't happy, and trade groups are suing the state, claiming the law will raise costs of doing business and hurt consumers."

Comments

Hurt consumers?

[Sivar]

Ya, all sorts of horrible things happen to me when companies can't sell my personal information. :)

Re:Hurt consumers?

[bwalling]

I would be very upset if I stopped getting junk mail and dinner time phone calls. If my state did that, I'd probably sue them for the pain and suffering it would cause. You know, those people always have the best products.

Re:Hurt consumers?

[Chris Burke]

Company man: "Yeah, ya see this consumer here?" *points with his black jack to man tied to chair* "Well, if you pass this new law, I'm afraid he might get hurt, and that'd be a real shame." *grins evily* "A real shame."

Re:Hurt consumers?

[joshjs]

"Ya, all sorts of horrible things happen to me when companies can't sell my personal information. :)"

Yeah, I might not get all that porno spam that I apparently want.

Ask us?

[CoreyGH]

Can't they do some broad consumer review asking how we, the consumers, feel about being hurt by this? That way we can all say, "Yes it hurts; but getting a little dutch rub from Vermont law is preferable to being boiled in oil by corparate if(screw customer=makemoney) then exec(screw customer) policy . . ."

Those poor consumers

[Ed Avis]

Instead of adapting systems to meet the state's rules, they are warning that Vermont residents may be excluded en masse from the kinds of offers and information that data sharing allows.

Oh, how my heart bleeds for the deprived residents of Vermont.

Re:Those poor consumers

[Darkstorm]

Oh, how my heart bleeds for the deprived residents of Vermont.


So how do I get Maryland to deprive me of my "offers" I'll suffer for if I don't get them?

Re:Those poor consumers

[legojenn]

I guess from now on, when we fill out forms, we use a Vermont address. Since I get opt-in email from Killington, I'll use theirs, and pick up my mail when I go skiing this month.

I like it

[jchawk]

Here's something you can do to fight snail mail spam in your state. When you receive a piece of junk mail, open it and take out the pre-paid postage envelope. Now open a second piece of junk mail and take it's contents and stuff it into the first pre-paid envelope. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat with every piece of junk mail you get. Then take them and mail them back to the fuckers who sent them.

Think about it, they are paying twice to get 0 results. :-)

Re:Smug

[BillTheKatt]

You also have VAT (Value Added Tax) and euro-government subsidized aircraft manufacturers (Airbus). Not to mention the German (.de) tree huggers who chew the US out about not supporting the Kyoto CO2 emissions limits, but are shutting down the clean German nuclear plants and replacing them with CO2, polluting oil generators.
Of course you also have great beer, pr0n on TV, and plenty of cute women. Hmm, how about hosting a deprived American guy like me for a month? ;-)

screwed up

[pubjames]

Naturally, companies aren't happy, and trade groups are suing the state, claiming the law will raise costs of doing business and hurt consumers.

I'm a bar owner and I've decided the sue the state because not serving beer to juniors makes them unhappy and is hurting my profits.

Re:It's About Freaking Time

[BandoMcHando]

And strangely, according to that X11 ad page:

"These ads are unique in that they appear as a new window. They are 100% safe and 100% legal."

and:

"These ads are commonly used, 100% legal and 100% safe!"

So not only unique, but commonly used as well! Now that really is unique.

I can see jury selection now...

[Phleg]

Lawyer: "Excuse me, ma'am, but have you ever received spam before?" Woman: "Yes...I have to delete hundreds of messages a day!" Lawyer: "She's biased! Throw her out!"

Take VT with Permission

[msheppard]

After VT passed the same sex marriage law recognition thing, there were people opposing it and putting big signs on their lawns reading:

TAKE VERMONT BACK

The folks who supported the decision wouldn't be out done, and started putting signs up which read

TAKE VERMONT FORWARD

I dunno what view this guy was supporting, probably a comment on the whole thing, he had a bumper sticker which read

TAKE VERMONT FROM BEHIND

Maybe the new slogan for this political move could be:

TAKE VERMONT WITH PERMISSION

I should copyright my name & address!

[Blue Lozenge]

Then we'd see companies fighting in favor of and against the fair use clause at the same time!

Or maybe they could argue that it is thumbnail sized when they print it on the envelope. :)

Hilarious!

[kindbud]

And that's exactly what companies might do. Instead of adapting systems to meet the state's rules, they are warning that Vermont residents may be excluded en masse from the kinds of offers and information that data sharing allows.

Ooooo, I bet they're trembling in their boots in Vermont! Who wants to miss outon all those special offers?

These people (marketers) need to get out more. They think threatening NOT to send stuff to people is... well.. a threat (giggle, chortle, snort! :). That's one of the funniest things I have ever read!

Marines?

[Squorch]

Vermont Goes Opt-In, Corps Unhappy

I read this and thought "What do the Marines care what Vermont does?"