You didn’t pay your bill. We need our computer back. And here’s a picture of you typing away on it, the computer rental company told a client as it tried to repossess the machine.Those allegations appear in a federal lawsuit alleging that the company, Atlanta-based Aaron’s, loaded computers with spyware to track renters’ keystrokes, make screen shots and even take webcam images of them using the devices at home. The lawsuit filed by a Wyoming couple last week raises anew questions of how invasive custodians of technology should be in protecting their equipment.Computer privacy experts said Aaron’s, a major furniture rental chain, has the right to equip its computers with software it can use to shut off the devices remotely if customers stop paying their bills, but they must be told if they’re being monitored.“If I’m renting a computer ... then I have a right to know what the limitations are, and I have a right to know if they’re going to be collecting data from my computer,” said Annie Anton, a professor and computer privacy expert with North Carolina State University.But the couple who sued Aaron’s said they had no clue the computer they rented last year was equipped with a device that could spy on them.Brian Byrd, 26, and his wife, Crystal, 24, said they didn’t even realize that was possible until a store manager in Casper came to their home Dec. 22.The manager tried to repossess the computer because he mistakenly believed the Byrds hadn’t paid off their rent-to-own agreement.When Brian Byrd showed the manager a signed receipt, the manager showed Byrd a picture of Byrd using the computer — taken by the computer’s webcam.Byrd demanded to know where the picture came from, and the manager “responded that he was not supposed to disclose that Aaron’s had the photograph,” the lawsuit said.Aaron’s, which bills itself as the nation’s leader in the sales and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances, said the lawsuit was meritless. It said it respects its customers’ privacy and hasn’t authorized any of its corporate stores to install the software described in the lawsuit.The Byrds contacted police, who, their attorney said, have determined the image was shot with the help of spying software, which the lawsuit contends is made by North East, Pa.-based Designerware and is installed on all Aaron’s rental computers. Designerware is also being sued in U.S. District Court in Erie.Aaron’s, with more than 1,800 company-operated and franchised stores in the U.S. and Canada, said the Byrds leased the computer from an independently owned and operated franchisee.Aaron’s, which also makes furniture and bedding, said it believes none of its more than 1,140 company-operated stores used Designerware’s product or did business with the company.Tim Kelly, who said he’s one of the owners of Designerware, said he wasn’t aware of the lawsuit and declined to comment.
Source: AP
