The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently granted a petition by Sears Holding Management requesting that the FTC reopen and modify a 2009 FTC order settling charges that Sears failed to disclose adequately the scope of consumers’ personal information it collected via a downloadable software app.

Sears’ 2009 Order

On August 31, 2009, the FTC entered a final order in In the Matter of Sears Holdings Management Corporation after determining that from approximately April 2007 to January 2008, Sears disseminated a desktop software application through its websites that collected sensitive information, such as online bank statements, drug prescription records, and video rental records, yet Sears failed to disclose the scope of the application’s data collection. Among other things, the order required Sears to disseminate all future “tracking applications” in a specified manner, including by making certain disclosures and obtaining express opt-in consent using processes stipulated by the order, for a 20-year term.
Continue Reading FTC Grants Sears’ Petition to Reopen and Modify 2009 Order Concerning Online Browsing Tracking