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Read the Fine Print
#37511 11/30/15 05:37 PM
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ryck Offline OP
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It's been said: "Big print giveth but small print taketh away". I guess we can now add: "Small print also sticketh its nose into your business" according to this article about a Canadian Bank using small print to get clients' agreement to monitor their on-line browsing activities.

In subsequent television reports this morning the bank of course said that they only meant activities relating to bank issues. However, that's not what the words say and, after being 'outed' and agreeing to remove the words, they are not in a big hurry to do so.

Too many people these days don't take the time to read the documents they agree to with a click of a mouse. It would appear some businesses might look at the lax attitude as an opportunity.

Last edited by ryck; 11/30/15 05:43 PM.

ryck

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Re: Read the Fine Print
ryck #37520 11/30/15 06:17 PM
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Originally Posted By: ryck
It's been said: "Big print giveth but small print taketh away". I guess we can now add: "Small print also sticketh its nose into your business" according to this article about a Canadian Bank using small print to get clients' agreement to monitor their on-line browsing activities.

I think the discussion in the media has gotten a tad out of hand. When the bank or (associated) credit card purveyor advises that they set cookies or Web beacons, they can do so only with respect to their own websites. The only way it could be more far-reaching/invasive is if the financial institution were to download malware surreptitiously onto your computer — not very likely to go unnoticed by those who monitor such. Let's just say that financial institutions are not the NSA or other morally and ethically corrupt institutions; if they were, they'd pretty much have to fold their tents.

The rules governing every institution's practices can be found in their "Financial Privacy and Personal Information Protection Notice" — in the case of TD Bank Group, CUETS Financial and associated credit card outlets. According to their documentation:
"Cookies cannot view or retrieve data from other cookies, or capture files or information stored on your computer. ... Web beacons can be used to compile aggregated statistics about website usage patterns like how many times a particular link, advertisement or specific area on a Web page is clicked."

(And remember: this is coming from the inveterate privacy/security paranoid.)

Re: Read the Fine Print
grelber #37524 11/30/15 10:35 PM
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ryck Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: grelber
When the bank or (associated) credit card purveyor advises that they set cookies or Web beacons, they can do so only with respect to their own websites.

That may be the case currently.

However, the questions I ask are:

1. If the bank already has rules that allow them to do the only spying they purport to want, why bother to insert anything into the fine print?

2. If they do think they should have something in the fine print, why are the words much broader than the current rules allow?

I think the answer is simple. Like other large corporations they think long range and, should technology or the rules in future facilitate something different, they already have the client's agreement.

Originally Posted By: grelber
(And remember: this is coming from the inveterate privacy/security paranoid.)

Perhaps not paranoid enough.

Last edited by ryck; 11/30/15 11:59 PM. Reason: Grammar

ryck

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