FTC: It's Not Cool To Put Spyware On Rent-To-Own Computers Without Customer Consent

Last year, a Wyoming couple, Brian and Crystal Byrd, filed a lawsuit against software design firm DesignerWare and furniture rental company Aaron's Inc., alleging that Aaron's had put DesignerWare spyware on the Dell Inspiron laptop they had rented and then used it to snap webcam photos of the couple. The spyware had a "Detective Mode" that let Aaron's location-track a customer's computer and take control of the screen and webcam, making it easier to repossess it in case of non-payment. An Aaron...