From: hal@finney.org
Date: Sun Sep 03 2000 - 16:53:57 MDT
Robert quotes the revised Amazon.com privacy policy:
> "As we continue to develop our business, we might sell or buy stores or
> assets. In such transactions, customer information generally is one of
> the transferred business assets. Also, in the unlikely event that
> Amazon.com, Inc., or substantially all of its assets are acquired,
> customer information will of course be one of the transferred assets."
He writes,
> So, I'd urge you all with Amazon accounts to write them a letter
> letting them know that you don't want to receive more unsolicited
> mail if Amazon goes belly up. My letter is attached below.
Your letter asks for more than this, it asks for them to forget your
name, your address, and your order history with them. In effect they
are supposed to wipe their books clean of all their customer information
if they are ever acquired.
I don't think that is a reasonable request. Much of a company's
value comes from its customer base. Whenever a company is acquired,
it naturally brings along its customers. When GTE (local phone company)
merged with some others to become Verizon, should they have wiped their
computers clean? When paypal.com merged with x.com, should one of them
have been compelled to erase knowledge of its customers' accounts?
This doesn't make sense to me. I don't see what the concern is.
Hal
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