Blockbuster Sued For Participating In Facebook's Beacon Program

[em_te]

http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cf...37&p=918739

A Texas resident has filed a federal lawsuit against Blockbuster for participating in Facebook's Beacon program, which tells members about their friends' e-commerce activity. In the lawsuit, quietly filed last week, Dallas County resident Cathryn Elaine Harris claims that Blockbuster violated the federal Videotape Privacy Protection Act by sharing information about her movie rentals and sales with Facebook without first obtaining her written consent.

Harris is seeking class-action status, and is asking for at least $2,500 for each violation of the statute, a 1988 law passed after a newspaper obtained the video rental records of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork.

"The Video Privacy Protection Act is an important privacy law that safeguards the information of individual who rent movies," said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "If they disclosed information that's protected under the act, obviously there are going to be some real claims here," he added. The Electronic Privacy Information Center isn't involved in Harris's lawsuit.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

I actually agree with this. I hate the way that so many companies flout data privacy laws. In the UK it is rife, and most companies just shrug as if they didn't know!

[theresiststance2003]

A lawsuit that actually has some credibility? I'M SHOCKED! :p

[c3i89g]

I doubt the credibilty. Beacon is an opt-in service. In order for activities to show on Beacon, the user has to approve them to show. The only thing I see is whether or not the opt-in will substitute for the written permission clause. If the judge is smart, it should.

[macf13nd]

I doubt the credibilty. Beacon is an opt-in service. In order for activities to show on Beacon, the user has to approve them to show. The only thing I see is whether or not the opt-in will substitute for the written permission clause. If the judge is smart, it should.

QFT

[mspeak]

I doubt the credibilty. Beacon is an opt-in service. In order for activities to show on Beacon, the user has to approve them to show. The only thing I see is whether or not the opt-in will substitute for the written permission clause. If the judge is smart, it should.

QTF x2

[spenser.d]

I doubt the credibilty. Beacon is an opt-in service. In order for activities to show on Beacon, the user has to approve them to show. The only thing I see is whether or not the opt-in will substitute for the written permission clause. If the judge is smart, it should.

+1 Thank you.

-Spenser

[PL_ Veteran]

"The Video Privacy Protection Act is an important privacy law that safeguards the information of individual who rent movies," said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Sounds epic :laugh:

[Xtreme2damax]

Sounds epic :laugh:

Lol, it does sound epic. Do I hear an epic win or an epic Phailure? :p

(Note I'm referring to the lawsuit.)

[Minifig]

I doubt the credibilty. Beacon is an opt-in service. In order for activities to show on Beacon, the user has to approve them to show. The only thing I see is whether or not the opt-in will substitute for the written permission clause. If the judge is smart, it should.

It doesn't matter if it's an opt in service, she didn't opt to have her private details shared by Blockbuster, and thats what the lawsuit is about.