IP: Cautionary tale--new Buick online sweepstakes and technical/privacy problems

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> From: "Jonathan I. Ezor" <jezor () siliconlawyer com>
>
> (Crossposted to the WWWAC list, http://wwwac.org, and the LawMarketing
> list, )
>
> I'm not usually a privacy fanatic, but the latest online promotion from
> Buick really has some unintended problems, as reported by ZDNet
> <http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/filters/bursts/0,3422,2228869,00.html>.  In a
> nutshell, you put in your information in the online form, and get e-mailed a
> link with a unique customer ID to click on and print out a game piece.
> Unfortunately for Buick, there's nothing stopping anyone from changing the
> end of the URL and getting information about all other entrants.  It
> works--if you want to see my contact information (nothing different from
> what I've posted here), use ID# 93604.  (Of course, if you win a car with
> that ID, it's mine, damnit!)
>
> The moral of this cautionary tale is similar to that presented by poor
> implementation of frames, as well as in some choices for downloadable
> music--choosing one technology over another can have unintended, sometimes
> costly legal and PR consequences.  Don't forget to keep that in mind when
> spec'ing out or build a site or other online resource.  {Jonathan}
>
>
> Jonathan I. Ezor, Esq., New Media Business Attorney
> 212-880-0840 (v)   212-983-2537 (note corrected fax number)
> jezor () siliconlawyer com
> Of Counsel, Leavy Rosensweig & Hyman, 11 E. 44th St. NY NY 10017
> Author, "CLICKING THROUGH: A Survival Guide for Bringing Your
>        Business Online" (Bloomberg Press: expected fall 1999)