Politech mailing list archives
FC: Amazon privacy policy change irks groups, from AP
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2000 14:48:07 -0400
[Thanks to Ian for sending us his story. But I'm not sure why this is, as EPIC apparently suggests in it, something that requires congressional action. People should instead simply only shop at places that have acceptable privacy policies. Privacy, like price, color, or warranty, will be one more component of a transaction that consumers consider. Besides, companies are certainly capable of writing policies that include a we-will-not-alter-this-paragraph-without-your-consent section, and I predict they will if consumers truly care about privacy. Executives have every reason (making money) to please their customers, and more incentive than ever: there's not that much brand loyalty online. --Declan] ********* From: "D. Ian Hopper" <ihopper () ap org> To: <declan () well com> Subject: Groups Criticize Amazon Policy Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 19:33:02 -0400 Here ya go. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000901/tc/amazon_privacy_2.html WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumer groups say a change in Amazon.com's privacy policy could leave customers of the Internet retailing giant no recourse if they don't want personal information such as credit card numbers and home addresses passed on to some other company. Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc., which sells a wide range of products, including books, toys and hardware, posted a revised privacy policy on its Web site Thursday telling customers the information they give is considered a company asset that can be sold. A company spokeswoman, Patty Smith, said the new policy is actually more restrictive in some cases, and better explains what Amazon can and cannot do with customer data. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology You may redistribute this message freely if it remains intact. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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- FC: Amazon privacy policy change irks groups, from AP Declan McCullagh (Sep 02)