[May 11, 2011] EDITORIAL: Rental firms must disclose use of spyware Tweet May 11, 2011 (Daily Times-Call - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Modern technology, while it makes life easier, often requires that people give up some privacy. From information stored online to track a person's purchases or websites visited, to the occasional reports that hackers have absconded with Social Security numbers or credit card data, computer users have much to worry about. But last December, a Casper, Wyo., couple say they found an unexpected invasion of privacy in their own home. Brian and Crystal Byrd have filed a lawsuit against Atlanta-based Aaron's Inc., saying the rental company installed spyware on the computer they rented that allows it to track keystrokes, take screenshots and even snap webcam pictures. "It feels like we were pretty much invaded, like somebody else was in our house," Brian Byrd told the Associated Press. The couple did not know the computer they rented last year was equipped with a device that could spy on them until Dec. 22, when a store manager mistakenly tried to repossess the computer and showed Byrd a picture of Byrd using the computer -- taken by the computer's webcam. Computer privacy experts contacted by AP said the firm does have the right to put software on its computers to shut off the devices remotely if customers stop paying their bills, but customers must be informed if they're being monitored. The rental company has responded that it had nothing to do with the installation of the spyware, saying the computer came from an independent franchise. But the lawsuit has put computer renters on notice that what they do with their laptops in the privacy of their homes may not be as private as they think. Computer rental companies should inform customers about all the software on their computers and what it is capable of doing. Customers should have the choice not to bring spyware into their homes. To see more of the Daily Times-Call, go to http://www.timescall.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]