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RadioShack Puts Customer Data Up For Sale In Bankruptcy Auction
itwbennett writes For years, RadioShack made a habit of collecting customers' contact information at checkout. Now, the bankrupt retailer is putting that data on the auction block. A list of RadioShack assets for sale includes more than 65 million customer names and physical addresses, and 13 million email addresses. Bloomberg reports that the asset sale may include phone numbers and information on shopping habits as well. New York's Attorney General says his office will take 'appropriate action' if the data is handed over.
This is why regulations, especially security and privacy and security-theater issues, must be monitored constantly and addressed immediately. Even if you trust the current management (including government), all it takes is a small management change (or government change) to bring in management that you cannot trust - or, worse, that you can be absolutely sure will do the opposite of what the previous management promised.
IIUC, bankruptcy laws require them to sell anything they can make money on unless it's illegal. And the people managing the bankruptcy aren't the people who were running the company before. (Usually, maybe they are in this case.)
Keep this in mind whenever a business asks you for information.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
I don't show my receipt at the door unless it's at a membership store where I could lose my account
I hate to say it, but I personally love walking out of Best Buy while their "security guard" yells at me but then does nothing about me not stopping. It's not stolen, and I'm not going to be treated like it is.
I don't show my receipt at the door unless it's at a membership store where I could lose my account if I fail to do so (like Costco). I'm there to exchange cash for goods.
And the guy at the door is there to make sure you did exchange the cash. Ever check your bag as you walk out to make sure you have all your goods? It's a private business, so what if they want to make sure people aren't taking their merch out the door without paying? You may not have a signed a contract, but it's implied when you walk into a store that they have the right to protect their stuff (security cameras or whatever else). You're just being a dick and making the security guard's job more difficult.
You might be able to make that argument... once.
If you know before you walk in that they're going to ask on the way out, then you don't really have an excuse.
It's the same deal in Western societies where you pay for your meal after you eat it: It's just understood that's how it works, and you can be legally liable if you don't.
Wonder what the public key field is for?
You may not have a signed a contract, but it's implied when you walk into a store that they have the right to protect their stuff (security cameras or whatever else).
But they don't have the legal, moral, or ethical right to search me.
You're just being a dick and making the security guard's job more difficult
It's hard to believe that the guard's life more difficult to hear "no thank you" as I stroll by, but if it does... then tough. They're being dicks by asking me to submit to a search. Fair's fair.
Just to add to this.. door checks of receipts also catch cashier error, most commonly cases of charging for the same item twice accidently.
I'm not overly fond of door checking of receipts but enh, there's much better things to worry about. If you don't like stores that have this policy, don't shop there.