Sears and Kmart Linked to Spyware

It has been identified by one security researcher that main stream companies like Sears and Kmart may be using spyware to track customer behaviour. Ben Edelman, from the Harvard Business School, is well known in the security community:

“…And given the invasive nature of the product, Sears has an obligation to make its behavior clearer to users. “The software is not something you’d want on your computer or the computer of anyone you care about,” Edelman said in an interview. “It tracks every site you go to, every search you make, every product you buy, and every product you look at but don’t buy. It’s just spooky.”"

link: Researcher says Sears downloads spyware

It begs the question of what becomes of these data. Are they resold and become another source of revenue? It would behoove these companies to explain how this tracking software benefits the consumer in any possible form. And why is there not full discloser to the customer?

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster:  http://flyinghamster.com/

[tag]sears, kmart, spyware, tracking, ben edelman, security, privacy[/tag]