New York–A group of protesters gathered on June 12 in front of Macy’s store in San Francisco to complain about Macys.com’s privacy policy. The Website’s privacy statement says that personal e-mail addresses, birth dates, credit-card numbers, and other information can be shared with other companies unless customers choose to opt out.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) led the rally, complaining that Macys.com’s handling of customers’ personal information collected on its Website and its partner Website, WeddingChannel.com, burdens customers to monitor the information they give out.
“If I’m doing business with a dozen businesses, how am I supposed to manage the privacy relationships with all these different companies?” EFF spokesman Will Doherty told NewsFactor Network. “Is it the companies’ responsibility, or is it the consumers’?”
Macys.com says its privacy policy is legit. “Part of our business is about managing customer information and relationships,” president Kent Anderson said in a statement. “The privacy policy published has been clearly thought through, is legal and responsible.”