Pa. lawsuit: Rental firm spies on users

[The Straight Story]

Pa. lawsuit: Rental firm spies on users

PITTSBURGH – A major furniture rental chain has software on its computers that lets it track the keystrokes, screenshots and even webcam images of customers while they use the devices at home, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Wyoming couple who said they learned about the PC Rental Agent "device and/or software" inside the computer they rented last year when an Aaron's Inc. store manager in Casper came to their home on Dec. 22.

The manager tried to repossess the computer because he mistakenly believed the couple hadn't finished paying for it, the couple said. Brian Byrd, 26, said the manager showed him a picture of Byrd using the computer — taken by the computer's webcam. The image was shot with the help of spying software, which the lawsuit contends is made by North East, Pa.-based Designerware LLC and is installed on all Aaron's rental computers.

"It feels like we were pretty much invaded, like somebody else was in our house," Byrd told The Associated Press in an exclusive telephone interview, the day before the suit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Erie. "It's a weird feeling, I can't really describe it. I had to sit down for a minute after he showed me that picture."

...

PC Rental Agent includes components soldered into the computer's motherboard or otherwise physically attached to the PC's electronics, the lawsuit said. It therefore cannot be uninstalled and can only be deactivated using a wand, the suit said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110503/ap_on_re_us/us_rental_computer_spyware

[drm604]

1. Holy Crap!

:grr:

[woo me with science]

2. Well, we were told when Lower Merion School District did it

that school personnel were much too busy to spy on anyone with the cameras, so not to worry about it.

Gee, I wonder if rental company owners have time to spy on people?

[PCIntern]

8. Nah...never...especially undressing or lovemaking people...

Yuck...who would do that?

[AdrianInOcala]

10. Conservatives (n/m)

[woo me with science]

3. K&R nt

[OnyxCollie]

4. K&R. nt

[Mojeoux]

5. K & R and >>>>*Shudder*

[crickets]

6. Scary and inexcusable. K&R

[Heywood J]

7. I'm guessing by "wand", they mean

soldering iron or screwdriver.

[woo me with science]

9. Kick nt