Submission Number: 00010 

Received: 9/26/2012 9:17:06 AM
Commenter:  Wilson
Organization: 
State: Pennsylvania

Agency: Federal Trade Commission
Initiative: Proposed Consent Agreement In the Matter of DesignerWare, LLC; FTC File No. 1123151
Attachments: No Attachments
Submission Text
I find it appalling that the settlement for this case comes down to a “slap on the wrist” with the FTC wagging their finger and the companies in violation promising to not do this again. What has occurred is not only an egregious violation of an individual’s right to privacy but also federal wiretapping laws. The software in question was not merely a useful tool that was misused. The developers intentionally designed this software to go far beyond the needs of the RTO stores in controlling their merchandise, allowing for a breach of peoples’ privacy. The RTOs themselves then made the active choice to gather this data from their customers in violation of privacy and wiretapping laws. The fact that there are not massive fines and prison sentences being handed out makes me lose much of the already little faith I have in the ability of our government to regulate the actions of corporations.