Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Bank Goofs, and Judge Orders Gmail Account Nuked

Posted by kdawson on from the oops-our-bad dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Rocky Mountain Bank, based in Wyoming, accidentally sent confidential financial information to the wrong Gmail account. When Google refused to identify the innocent account owner's information, citing its privacy policy, the bank filed in Federal court to have the account deactivated and the user's information revealed. District Judge James Ware granted the bank's request, with the result that the user has had his email access cut off without any wrongdoing or knowledge of why." The Reg's earlier story says, "Rocky Mountain Bank had asked to court to keep its suit under seal, hoping to avoid panic among its customers and a 'surge of inquiry.' But obviously, this wasn't successful."

10 of 594 comments (clear)

  1. Redirect the evil! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Quick! We need the normal lot of haters in here to spin this as Google being evil! Um... um... they... they host their services in a country that they very well know is subject to U.S. judges' decisions! Yeah! They should've known better! Obviously, Google is evil! TEH SIGNS ARE EVAREEWERE!

    1. Re:Redirect the evil! by cheftw · · Score: 5, Funny

      and I will backfire badly

      :?

      It's not like it coud have been a typo, you capitalised it.

      Is this some new americanism?

      --
      Always back up, never back down. ---- Think you're cool 'cos your uid is prime? Take mine, modulo the one digit integers
    2. Re:Redirect the evil! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      If his name is any indication then he's merely some uneducated southern rube. I doubt he knows about much beyond pickup trucks and country "music".

    3. Re:Redirect the evil! by jonfr · · Score: 3, Funny

      I want to see that email on wikileaks! Now!!

    4. Re:Redirect the evil! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I want to see that email on wikileaks! Now!!

      Try stomping your feet on the floor and throwing fragile things around. Then leave the table without finishing your vegetables. That'll make your mom really mad.

  2. Re:Can the Poor SOB sue for damages? by grahamwest · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sewing for damages?

    Fear the giant quilt of redress!

    --
    Graham
  3. Step 1: Deactivate Account Step 2: Deactivate User by jayveekay · · Score: 3, Funny

    Presumably they need the user's identity because after step 1: Deactivate account, they need to proceed with step 2: Deactivate user (in case he read the email, he has confidential info in his brain.)

    Of course, if that user has communicated with anyone then they will need to be deactivated as well, and so on, and so on... All I know is in the future I'm autoforwarding all my emails from Rocky Mountain Bank to Rush Limbaugh! :)

  4. Re:G-Mail? by Nethead · · Score: 2, Funny

    The bank is worried about a panic amongest [sic] it's customer base.

    Kind of late for that after this last year.

    --
    -- I have a private email server in my basement.
  5. Re:G-Mail? by easyTree · · Score: 5, Funny

    You appear to have accidentally hit the nail on the head.

    Well done.

    --
    Requiem for the American Dream
  6. Re:Sooo hang on... by cerberusss · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... an innocent user in, say, Germany would loose his email...

    So it would be in the wild?

    Yes, zat is correct! Ve Germans do not send Email! Ha! Noes! Our Email escapes, leaving a bloody Trail of innocent Bystanders in its Wake!

    --
    8 of 13 people found this answer helpful. Did you?