Court Allows Webcam Spying On Rental Laptops

tekgoblin writes "Back in May there was a class action lawsuit filed against the rental company Aaron's, which had secretly installed spying software that would turn on a laptop's webcam, take pictures and then send them back to the company. Overall it seemed like a large invasion of privacy, which should at least warrant an injunction to stop use of the software until the case is settled, right? Not to the judge, who refused to order an injunction on the grounds that the family was no longer in possession of the laptop. As for everyone else still using their Aaron's laptops, the judge had this to say to them (PDF): 'Moreover, it is purely conjecture that the other members of the putative class will be subjected to remote access of personal information.'"

Comments

Re:wow, thats nuts

[PopeRatzo]

Oh goodie a LAW dictating lights on a laptop - just what we need! What a load of crap. I do NOT want another light on my laptop thanks and requiring it via some sort of retarded law is insane. Putting it into documentation simply means it will be yet another thing that won't get seen by most users. How about instead we simply use some common sense and fry the companies that are bugging users like this. There's already been one case where a school was snapping pics of the kids using the computers - complete with your suggested LED - where folks were told the flickering light was a "bug". I do not believe an LED is a solution here, especially one required by law.

Oh, shut the fuck up. Why does the sound of your voice give me a headache, you fatuous idiot? "We've got enough LAWS!". Well, if a company thinks it's OK to use rental laptops to spy on customers, there appears to be at least one law that either needs to be written or strengthened. I am so tired of hearing this stupid, "Not another LAW! Oh, that terrible GOVERNMENT" from people who get their political insights from the AM radio.