Amazon's Privacy Policy Now Allows Sale of User Info 176
StoryMan writes: "Amazon.com decides to revise its privacy policy and states that it considers consumer data a saleable asset. Story here at CNN." Michael notes that this only happens if Amazon.com is sold: essentially covering their butts in case they go bankrupt. Of course considering their burn rate, this doesn't make me feel better. I haven't shopped at Amazon since their one-click-shopping patent, but I'm sure they have plenty of stuff listed about me from an era when I happily shopped with them (mind you this is before Amazon diluted itself by selling so much crap, that buying books became a pain).
Jamie adds:
Note the language of the new privacy policy: "of course" your private information will be "one of the transferred assets."
Did you think your information would still be private five years from now, when the dozens of companies you've shopped at have all gone bankrupt one by one? Ha ha! Foolish consumer!
The first test case in bankrupt-privacy seems to be Toysmart, and the latest word on that is that a judge refuses to forbid such "asset transfers." We'll keep you posted on the Toysmart case, but for now, it doesn't look good.
Original policy null + void? (Score:3)
That's it... (Score:1)
What else is new? (Score:3)
Breach of Contract; Fraud (Score:1)
I would boycot Amazon.... (Score:1)
Anyway, I might have missed something, but as far as I can tell, there's no way to remove oneself from the database.
Notification. (Score:4)
________________
They're - They are
Their - Belonging to them
Customers rethink purchasing policy (Score:2)
It must be incredibly frustrating for those individuals who founded or co-founded amazon to see it heading this way.
Maybe the marketing / legal department at amazon has already figured out how to splice crack into their genes. Sure seems like it.
Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:1)
This may make it illegal for european companies (Score:2)
//rdj
Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:3)
Re:Breach of Contract; Fraud (Score:1)
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Good! (Score:1)
Can we have our info removed? (Score:1)
Not a surprise.. (Score:4)
However, this is an interesting case. In the UK (and Eurpoe generally) there is greater protection on what companies can, and can't, do with your personal data.
This means that the privacy policy for amazon.co.uk is different [amazon.co.uk] from amazon.com [amazon.com].
Arn't they the same company? Isn't this a little schitzophrenic?
A bad precedent being set? (Score:4)
Re:What else is new? (Score:1)
Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:2)
If you are concerned about this crappy new policy, just do the same with your info. If they go belly-up, your info will no longer be an "asset".
They might to able this. (Score:2)
This is not that bad + Alternatives (Score:3)
I have a feeling that this article is just sensationalism, though. With the recent Toysmart case, this really seems like the sensible move on their part. I'm not too worried about amazon going out of business, anyway. Anybody care to explain why this is bad, except that it involves the words "private information"?
Some alternatives I use in avoiding amazon:
buy.com is almost always cheaper. Less in stock, worse web site, worse service, but cheaper.
fatbrain.com has excellent service and selection for technical books.
express.com has excellent service and selection for movies and games.
Clarification - User data sellable at ANY time (Score:4)
More reasons not to buy at Amazon (Score:1)
Alex Bischoff
Interested in building a roof over your cubicle? [slashdot.org]
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Re:What else is new? (Score:1)
Cha ching.
Re:This is not that bad + Alternatives (Score:1)
(I don't work for either Discover or B&N, but they built their store in an old theater downtown, and it is really amazingly decorated - sort of a castle/fantasy look).
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Re:What else is new? (Score:1)
Re:Breach of Contract; Fraud (Score:1)
What the Heck? (Score:2)
Re:Customers rethink purchasing policy (Score:1)
Well, the simplest solution I can think of is to set up an email account on a free system (hotmail, juno, etc..) filled out with less than true info (transposed digits on your address, wrong zip, etc..), and use it for your online shopping / newsletters /etc...
Then, once a week / month or so, go by and delete all the messages (possibly keeping some of them, but typically not...). It works, it's relatively easy, and it keeps your main email address free from spam.
Besides, anyone else noticed that some mailing lists (esp. ZDNet ones) tend to multiply? As if they decide to add your address to other lists of theirs?
daBum
Re:Breach of Contract; Fraud (Score:1)
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I'm proud to say... (Score:1)
Bait and Switch (Score:2)
These were not the terms I agreed to. These are very different terms. It seems like the tactic of updating with bogus info is probably the only viable thing most of us can do but this type of bait and switch on the part of dot-coms could put a big chill on e-business.
Re:What else is new? (Score:3)
I buy stuff using cash. Even in the bookstore where I usually buy 3 - 4 books a week, where the clerks recognize me, and ask me how my injury is healing, I don't get the discount card which would save me 10% every time.
If you want to have privacy, you have to protect it.
What they say/What they mean (Score:1)
What they mean: "In the event that we get bought out, you and all information about you will be sold like cattle, whether you like it or not. So there."
This blows. (Score:2)
Wonder how Wall Street will react to this. It's up half a point so far.
Other online bookstores (Score:3)
Re:What else is new? (Score:3)
Not so - for me at least. I request that my name and address be removed from all mailing list sales and rentals by every vendor with whom I do business - and yes, it gets very tiring doing this.
In meatspace, we can request that our personal information not be shared, and there are laws that require companies to abide by that request. This isn't true in cyberspace, which is why people are so up in arms. There are companies like DoubleClick that don't tell you what they're doing and alluvasudden you're overwhelmed with junkmail and other targeted advertising.
I do not want targeted advertising. Look, you do not have to advertise to me. If I want your service, I'll seek you out.
I'd like to have the same rights to privacy in cyberspace that I do have in meatspace. That's all.
woohoo! (Score:2)
- A.P.
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"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
NOT the same as the Toysmart case (Score:2)
Amazon is learning a lesson, and has now made their sale of user data legit by their policy. If Amazon went under tomorrow, it would be hard for a judge to stop such a sale.
The biggest problem here is that the US has no regulation on privacy data, and there are very few mouths that are catching the ears of ppl in Congress to get stronger privacy info set up - possibly because the US Gov't has a rather juicy database as well that probably goes above and beyond the needs for maintaining taxes. The CNN article mentions an industry group that is formed to consider privacy issues, including Amazon and DoubleClick. I'm surprise they didn't invite Spamford to their party as well.
The only true way to go with privacy is the opt-in model, and making sure that your records with any company can be accessed by you and can be deleted at your request (Of course, in some cases, there might not be even information to be able to do part securely).
Words to Amazon (Score:3)
Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:2)
Re:This blows. (Score:1)
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This is great news! (Score:4)
Amazon's finally going to make money. Buy your stock NOW!!!
(btw, I'm cancelling my account with them)
Re:What else is new? (Score:1)
Re:Customers rethink purchasing policy (Score:1)
That and the pages that have tiny hidden boxes with nearly invisible text "click here if you don't wan't to receive mail from us, our partners, and whomever else we see fit to sell your info to". Opt-out is one thing, but some of these hardly give you a fair chance...
Just fill out the info with MAILER-DAEMON@[theirsite] and have them send you all the additional mailings you could ever want 8^)
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Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:1)
The only way that they could detect this change is if it triggers somekind of alert. (note: Changing ones name to jacka$$ might be a bad idea)
Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:1)
Scary, eh?
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What happened to integrity? (Score:1)
But what if... (Score:1)
Re:Breach of Contract; Fraud (Score:1)
Amazon's records, way beyond what you give 'em... (Score:3)
This personal information is how Amazon is aboe to pop up that message saying stuff like "People who bought this book also liked X" and "This book is popular at X Corp, and in Iowa"
Amazon has put all you clicks and such to good use which is really just good business. However this also makes the information much more valuable.
Let's face it... Data is a commodity, and it makes business sense to treat it as such.
On the other hand, sense Amazon seems to attempt to compete with everybody else in the world, why would they want to sell off there competitive advantage.
It does anger me however if a company can just change such statement at will. That is what agrivates me the most!
Already canceled. (Score:1)
I highly doubt they're going to remove my personal information simply because I asked. All I can do is screw it all up so whomever gets it next can't use it correctly. Amazon.com is no longer on my places to shop because of this.
Re:Not a surprise.. (Score:1)
Moreover, information is shared between the two services. I never ordered from Amazon.co.uk before, yet when I wanted to buy a recent book [amazon.co.uk] unavaliable in the US, I was able to login the same way, my address and credit card info unchanged.
Presumably a reverse process is at work for UK customers. What about people in the UK (or elsewhere) who ordered at the US site? How are they distinguishing the data internally--by home address or website? Which leads to the question of whether they would, in fact, sell UK (or German at amazon.de) user information.
Also, if a European customer orders from an American site (with or without international holdings) do the privacy protections of their home countries apply?
Re:Never shopped online.... (Score:1)
Re:This is not that bad + Alternatives (Score:1)
Request of Omission (Score:1)
Re:prolog post (Score:1)
Re:I would boycot Amazon.... (Score:2)
Re:Notification. (Score:1)
Death is but a doorway.
Re:This is not that bad + Alternatives (Score:1)
Don't forget the bookpool [bookpool.com], at least for computer books. I haven't been able to beat their prices anywhere.
B&N is usually better than Amazon, too, because B&N offers coupons (which is why they're taking heavy losses on their web sales, from what I've read. Check out Movie Price Guide [moviepriceguide.com] for coupons to B&N [bn.com], as well as a lot of DVD sellers.
They're putting dimes in the hole in my head to see the change in me.
Re:Never shopped online.... (Score:1)
Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:1)
Re: Jon Katz (Score:1)
Re:Watch this story get deleted (Score:1)
But Hemos's reply to the LinuxPower story makes it sound like there were some real juvenile people there.
As far as the Slashdot people acting like kings, maybe someone had inflated expectations. I don't know what the author expected at the Slashdot/OSDN booth, but he was probably one of just another 1000 geeks hanging around there expecting to get noticed. Taco and Hemos could spend all day shaking hands, do nothing else, and still piss people off. I'll be honest, I was impressed when Hemos replied to my wedding congratulations, I figured he had 100's of emails, and better things to do.
George
Re:Notification. (Score:1)
/. - slashdot
./ - moron typist
I thought
___
Re:What else is new? (Score:1)
I do not want targeted advertising. Look, you do not have to advertise to me.
It won't get your "rights" back but why not use junkbuster [waldherr.org].
Crap (Score:1)
(mind you this is before Amazon diluted itself by selling so much crap, that buying books became a pain)
Wow they really do sell Crap [amazon.com]
-=MeMpHiStO=-trash your user info (Score:1)
I have been boycotting Amazon since the patent fiasco.
Now I have deleted credit card info, mailing addresses, and broke my email and user names. (BTW, there is now a "Georgette Orwell" who Amazon thinks shopped there from 1997 until early this year.)
I suggest everyone do something similar.
-T
Different for Germany? (Score:1)
Re:Never shopped online.... (Score:1)
Goddamned Christians. Gas a few more, why don't you.
And learn to spell. Jews usually get that much right, at least.
Let's all move to another company... (Score:1)
Re:What else is new? (Score:1)
I was trying to do this and gave up.
Why?, you ask?
The f***ing companies kept making me repeat the process. From one company I got notices once a month for 6 months before I gave up. Each notice required me to write and send them a letter fulfilling their requirements and the only way to make certain I was meeting all their requirements was to read every part of every paper they ever send me. I do that most of the time anyway, but eternal vigilence is tough in this case.
Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:1)
Re:Breach of Contract; Fraud (Score:1)
Privacy, or just anonymous? (Score:2)
The right to be anonymous and the right to privacy *are* *two* *separate* *matters!*
I might want to be anonymous, if I lived under an opressive government, or did something my neighbours would not like (or did something criminal). Privacy, I want regardless of wether someone has a database on me or not. If Amazon has an automated script that picks out books I'm likely to buy, that is not a privacy issue. If someone calls me in the middle of dinner to sell me books, it is a privacy intrusion, regardless of wether they got data from amazon or simply rolled up my number.
I want laws that regulate the *use* of personal data rather than the act of collecting it. If my data cannot be used by telemarketers, there is no longer any point for dotcoms to collect more than they need.
Easy to talk the talk, but what about walking it? (Score:1)
Signing up under current terms (Score:2)
As far as I know, when you sign up for such a service, you agree to the terms of usage displayed to you at that time. You are not forced to agree to the change in policy later on. Call up Amazon and request for an IMMEDIATE deletion of your account or change of personal info.
Of course, Amazon might tell you its done and still sell your info afterwards, when it goes bankrupt(yay!). The question is: How do you know your info has been deleted? What will prevent Amazon from selling information about customers who signed up *before* the change in policy?
Do you Americans have some law that can help ?
Thanks for reading
Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:3)
Re:Not a surprise.. (Score:2)
I think that the only way to make understandable rules for internet companies is to have TLD based legislation. That is, for .com, .com law apply (MPAA gets their way etc) for .org another set of rules, for .uk brittish law and so on. Us law should only apply to .us domains.
This is even more disturbing - (Score:5)
Forget that noise about Amazon - this line from the article bothered me even more. Has anyone else heard about this?
This is NOT the same as selling data I willingly provided to Toysmart or Amazon. One involves consent and the other does not. I agree with the /.ers who are saying the Amazon news is no big deal - it's not. Although changing user agreements after the fact is a bit underhanded, I'm not concerned about my personal data. Brick and mortar and credit card companies sell it all the time. If you don't like it then pay with cash and don't give Radio Shack your address. Or you don't shop online. Simple.
But DoubleClick's plan sounds so much more sinister. The thought of being stalked while I surf is disturbing enough - but I can't abide the possibility of receiving all kinds of spam (both regular and electronic) simply because I visited a site. I'm all for target marketing - that's why I don't mind giving my info to Amazon, Buy.com (when I buy something) and signing up for emailing lists of my choosing. But just because I go to a site looking for erotic pictures of Jennifer Lopez does not mean I am on the prowl for a new buttplug.
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Re:What else is new? (Score:2)
Supposedly, they use the info about what kind of things you buy to target certain products or adverts towards you.. But......
My "fun" idea was to confuse their data as much as possible by deliberately doing ridiculous things. For example, buy all your shopping except specific items without the card and then go back and get the remaining items using the card, but make sure they are a wierd combination. eg, only ever use the card when you buy knives, glue, alcohol and other potentially harmful things. or whenever you use your card, buy nothing but 120 toilet rolls. or 30kg of rice!
Imagine the stupid junk mail you would get sent by whoever they sell your info to!
(okay, to real ppl it's probably not funny, so i must be a loon)
Privacy policy only good as it gets (Score:5)
Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where he reserves a car, and when he gets to the rental place, finds out his reserved car is gone. Anybody can take a reservation, the whole point is to keep it, he reminds the clerk. It's the same with a privacy policy. What good is it if it is sold off later?
There seems to be no solution to this. nobody can guarantee that a company will stay in business, and there's no law that prevents a privacy policy from being changed (or they wouldn't be doing it).
Is there an industry standard which can be realistically followed, and is there an incentive for it?
LL.
Re:Notification. (Score:2)
Information from Other Sources
For reasons such as improving personalization of our service (for example, providing better product recommendations or special offers that we think will interest you), we might receive information about you from other sources and add it to our account information. We also sometimes receive updated delivery and address information from our shippers or other sources so that we can correct our records and deliver your next purchase or communication more easily.
{...}
What Choices Do I Have?
{...}
Click here to explore products that offer anonymous browsing. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission provides useful information about online privacy on its own Web site, Site Seeing on the Internet.
Dear customer,
We are building a large distributed database of your personal information. This information can get out of our hands at any time so, to ensure that other companies get the right information, we will even update it automagically by sharing info between our "circle-of-friend-companies-we-trust-and-you-can-a lso-trust-cause-they-are-pretty-and-love -flowers-and-all" and using high-tech heuristics to be sure we know precisly where you live and if you wear boxers of briefs.
What Choices Do I Have?
Oh well... grrr...Actually, you need a big and complex piece of software whose only goal is to guard you from big companies like us. We sure hope it's got better heuristics than ours. Actually, it's a big game! You try to hide your info, and we try to get it! If we win, you don't know, but if you do win, you may get a prize!
Dear sir ~MegamanX~, this is Joe from Amazone. You won a car in the privacy contest. Could you give us your address so we can ship it to you. Check here if you want to receive emails of our special offers...
phobos% cat
Once you're in, you can never get out (Score:3)
On occasion, I have signed up for various services online, from newsreaders to tea companies. Over time, for various reasons, I have decided to stop using some of these services. But at the website, I can't unregister. I have no way of completely removing my information and account. I have no way to ask that my name be at least deactivated and at best deleted from their databases. Why is this? Shouldn't I be able to get out as easily as I got in? Wouldn't it even be beneficial to these companies to save the cost of maintaining info on someone who is no longer interested or satisfied with their products?
DBA's out there...is it feasible, practical, to completely remove a user's record from your data on request? Obviously you can't nix the transactional records, but could you pull the salable information if I asked you to? When I call up and ask you to remove my info from your systems, do you? Do I have any way to verify that you have?
In Amazon's case (and many others, I suspect), I would have carefully checked the privacy policy before I first gave my details. But when major changes such as these come about, suddenly, I have no method to dissent. I can't get my information deleted, and I can't un-join now that the policy is no longer satisfactory.
At the very least, changes like these should only be allowed to be valid from the time of the change forward. So, transactions I made in the past, under a previous policy, would not be eligible for sale. Transactions going forward after notification, would be. Then, if I had the ability to delete my details, I would be satisfied (albeit not happy) with the process.
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"The Constitution...is not a suicide pact."
Amazon is good. (Score:5)
I've been using Amazon.com since 1997. In that time I've bought hundreds of books, CD's, DVD's, VHS's and, more recently, electronics. I have no problems with Amazon keeping my customer info. This way, I actually get things that *I LIKE* on my front page whenever I log in. They have my preferences down quite well. I just bought a 61" TV from Amazon too, and received it in a week with free shipping. That's way better than the local Circuit City was going to do for the same price.
Rob, I have no idea what you're talking about when you say that book buying is so much more annoying now that they sell all kinds of crap. You search for the book, you add it to your shopping cart (or 1-click) and you're done. There's virtually NO difference in book buying now as opposed to before Amazon diversified. Opinions like the ones Rob stated seem to me to be rationalizations of "why we should hate amazon".
My experience that Amazon's customer service and quick delivery has always kept me pleased. WAY more so than Fat Brain or Barnes & Noble who have both delayed several orders by an inordinate amount of time without so much as sending me an email explaining the situation. FatBrain has especially horrible for this -- being out of stock, mis-estimating ship times, messing up shipping information, etc.
If Amazon goes bankrupt, of course I care that my info goes out, but how does this differ from old mail-order catalogues of the past? The technology is more sophisticated, but there is nothing stopping Sears, LL Bean or Eddie Bauer from keeping track of your purchase history. If they go bankrupt or are sold, there's nothing stopping that data from getting out. I care about my privacy, but I also understand that Amazon is not *freely* selling my info, they're just allowing for the possibility of this if they go belly up.
It's quite hypocritical how techies scream when politians want to apply a "new standard" to the Internet in terms of censorship, but themselves want to apply a "new standard" to the Internet for privacy laws.
If they want to try to patent 1-click, that's their choice, and it will be decided in the courts. In the court of customer service, they've won by my experience. It's just a matter if they can turn that into profits some day.
from the time-to-cancel-accounts? dept.?!?! (Score:2)
you cancel an account, I doubt it gets deleted from their database. it's probably just flagged as inactive.
truth be told, it is an asset that can be resold. UNLESS they specifically told you when you signed up that they wouldn't resell this information. If so, and they do resell it, then those are probably grounds for a civil suit.
I personally can't remember if they stated in the submission form whether they stated that they wouldn't resell this information, so I can't say whether there is grounds for any suit. Also, they said that it's only in the case of bankruptcy, and I don't see that happening. Also, merger/takeover doesn't count as bankruptcy.
Ways to keep privacy (for meatspace) (Score:2)
Basically, I'm making it as difficult as possible for anyone to track me for a prolonged period of time. If they're going to collect information about where I am, I can endeavor to change that fact.
yours,
It's transaction cost and nothing else, folks... (Score:2)
The reason for this is that we have to send someone to jail if they lie about a book-entry transaction, or, frankly, those transactions won't clear, much less settle, and we're back to the days of personal store credit and bales of paper bearer certificates, all of which cost much more to use than just calling the cops.
So. You're in a finance department, say at Amazon. You've got a huge database with all this stuff in it, names, addresses, phone numbers, who bought what and for how much. You pay an enormous amount of money keeping it around, massaging it, storing it, reporting on it. It's gotten so necessary to have, in fact, that because it's all there, the government now wants to see it all, once a quarter, so they can tax and regulate you with it. A fine kettle of fish, indeed.
So, what are you going to do to make money with all that information, to cover some of its enormous cost? You call the Marketing guys, of course, and get them to sell it...
I expect, by the way, that the cheapest way to do transactions, particularly on the net, will be digital bearer transactions, with cryptographic protocols like blind signatures, or X-Cash, or MicroMint, or Mojo, or something like that, but I'm supposed to say that, because it's my job.
In the meantime, don't be surprised if anyone with a database full of book-entry transaction history sells that information, for whatever they can get for it, and that they will even create legislation allowing them to do that, probably with the word "Privacy" in the title somewhere.
This especially holds true for the book-entry transaction companies themselves, like VISA/Mastercard, or, unfortunately, even PayPal itself. Because, even if by law a company can't directly sell that that information, they can, at the very least, always merge, right?
_________
Re:Different for Germany? (Score:2)
countries in the EU actually have laws protecting your privacy...
//rdj
Re:Not a surprise.. (Score:2)
Not to mention the newly opened French subsidiary, amazon.fr [amazon.fr]. In France, the law on personal data stored on computers [legifrance.gouv.fr] is extremely strict (borderline paranoid, in fact).
Now if such a customer file is shared by amazon between several countries, it must be kept in compliance with the law of every country in question.
So if you're not happy with amazon keeping personal info on your subject, go to amazon.fr, check that the info is indeed shared with amazon.com, and write them ("them" being amazon.fr) a letter (in formal French, of course) stating that you wish to exercise the rights vested upon you by article 36 of the aforementioned law 78-16 of january 6, 1978, and that in compliance with that law they must strike the information concerning you from the record (you can claim, e.g., that it is obsolete). Somehow I doubt they'll make a special effort to remove the info in amazon.fr and not in amazon.com, so they'll have to remove it completely.
(I only mention French law because I know that particular one. But maybe German or English law (for amazon.de or amazon.co.uk) could let you achieve the same results.)
Somehow I feel that we'll have to stand the "socialist Europe" cliché again...
Sorry, it's consent (Score:2)
Maybe...
We reserve the right to make changes to our site, policies, and these conditions of use at any time.
IMO, privacy policies are a frappin' joke. They don't mean shit if the terms can be changed at a corp's discretion.
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Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:3)
--
I hereby decline to accept your agreement, and direct you to remove any
and all information pertaining to me from your databases. Sale of
information pertaining to me may be done so only for a fee payable
directly to me. I hereby set that fee to be $10,000 US dollars for each
instance of my name and other information about me being attached to a
list being sold by Amazon.com. Sale of a list which includes information
about me constitutes acceptance of these terms.
--
I don't know if this is legally binding, but it seems like it may provide them incentive to remove my information, and makes clear that I will no longer do business with them because of this change.
I called to cancel account (Score:2)
Toll-free in the U.S. and Canada: (800) 201-7575
Outside the U.S. and Canada: (206) 266-2992
I was on hold for quite a long time (about 15 minutes) so they appear busy. Their computer system was running slowly, too; it took several minutes to locate my account record.
The customer service person was completely unfazed by my request to delete my account information and my complaint about the revised privacy policy. I suspect mine was not the first call for that purpose today.
Re:This is great news! (Score:2)
How do you cancel an account with any of the on-line purchase places? None of them that I've scene even HAVE a cancel option... Hell, even SLASHDOT doesn't have a 'delete my id' option....
Even if they do 'cancel it', how do you know it's really been cancelled? Are they legally required to delete your account?
Sadly, amazon now offers poor service as well (Score:2)
To start, despite all the books I ordered being "Usually ships in 24 hours", my order was not shipped until Saturday - two days after the order. I remember when orders were almost invariably shipped a few hours after being placed.
It added somewhat to my irritation that, although the order was placed on the 24th and shipped on the 31st, it claimed delivery would be between the 31st and the 5th. Since shipment via UPS ground almost invariably takes three days, this was an absurdly pessimistic range. My order actually arrived, to my relief, on the 30th - just when I thought it would.
Finally, out of the ten-odd items I ordered, instead of sending me William Goldman's sequel to Adventures in the screen trade, they sent me a well-written but surely unrelated SAP: The Inside Story. I'm not inclined to send it back, since that's more trouble than it's worth, but I'm not inclined to appreciate what they did, either. Any suggestions as to what to do about this would be appreciated.
Now, I wouldn't be that upset about this if it weren't for the fact that poor service from Amazon now appears to be a common complaint. See this review:
http://www.epinions.com/book-review-217D-2788EE
After seeing their current service, I have to agree entirely. It's sad to see this kind of decline in a one-time king of customer service, despite their recent privacy problems. But there it is.
D
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All of you are so off the hook! (Score:2)
First off, there is lots of information being passed around on you as we speek. There is NO notification that you get when this happens, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Its to late your information is out there being analized, sold and reanized all the freekin time. No company ever tells you when they sell you informaion - this also go's for the government.
Amazon.com is the only company decent enough to let you know what they are doing with your information, and yes if you don't like there policy then you don't have to shop there. That's why the sent out the press release in the first place, but to bash Amazon.com because its doing what every other company does (including the Government) is just plain retarded. You don't see any other companies with the guts to do what Amazon has done... so give the company some damn credit, even you never buy something from them again.
Re:NOT the same as the Toysmart case (Score:2)
Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:2)
Moreover information from book sales is much more damning. This information that I browsed web pages about cancer is virtually meaningless it could have been idle curiosity looking up some piece of info for a friend or just settling an argument. If however I bought a book detalining ways of coping with cancer it is virtually guaranteed I, or a close associate, actually has the disease.
This kind of information could play havoc politically. THe knowledge that Gulianni had cancer significantly effected the new york elections...certainly if this sort of information were leaked about a politician. Even worse would be information leaked that a politician was reading a socially disapproved book...what if they bought a work by karl marx...leaking this could certainly turn an election
Kinda like blackmail? (Score:2)
- Isaac =)
It doesn't matter (Score:3)
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Re:Original policy null + void? (Score:2)
They did send out an email (Score:2)
More seriously, though, most privacy policies are garbage. I'm not a big fan of regulation, but there has got to be something that enforces good practices here, since the vendors clearly don't give a shit.
sulli