Subject: Atlanta-based Aaron's Inc.
Occupation: Aaron’s bills itself as the nation's leader in the sales and lease of residential furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances.
Alleged Crime: Renting computers that track customers’ keystrokes and take screenshots and snap webcam pictures of renters as they use the devices at home—and transmitting the images and data to computers back at the Aaron’s store.
The Bad Part: Customers were unaware the spyware came standard with the rental.
Police state, or just the customer scan room at Best Buy? (Photo: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters)The Accusers: A Wyoming couple, Brian Byrd, 26, and his wife, Crystal, 24, have filed a federal lawsuit against Aaron’s.
Nemesis Unveiled: A store manager in Casper, Wyoming, came to the Byrd home on December 22, intending to repossess the computer. Brian Byrd showed the manager a signed receipt. The manager showed Byrd a picture of Byrd using the computer—taken by the computer's webcam.
Victim Reaction: "It feels like we were pretty much invaded, like somebody else was in our house," Byrd told the AP. "It's a weird feeling. I had to sit down for a minute after he showed me that picture."
Victim Concern: "Crystal gets online before she gets a shower and checks her grades," Brian Byrd said. "Who knows? They could print that stuff off there and take it home with them."
Nemesis Excuse #1: Computer privacy experts said Aaron's has the right to equip its computers with software it can use to shut off the devices remotely if customers stop paying their bills.
Nemesis Excuse #2: Aaron's, with more than 1,800 company-operated and franchised stores, said the Byrds leased their computer from an independent franchisee.
Why Believe the Victim?: The Byrds’ attorney said police had determined the image was shot with spyware made by Pennsylvania-based Designerware LLC, and that the spyware is installed on all Aaron's rental computers.
Nemesis Excuse #3: Aaron's said it believes that none of its more than 1,140 company-operated stores had used Designerware's product.
The Nemesis Will Not Shut Off: According to the lawsuit, components are soldered into the rental PC’s motherboard and cannot be uninstalled.
Victim Final Words: "I've got a 5-year-old boy, and sometimes he gets out of the tub running around for 20, 30 seconds while we're on the computer. What if they took a picture of that? I wouldn't want that kind of garbage floating around out there."
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