“A new class action suit has been filed against Apple concerning how much information is printed on online Apple Store receipts,” Justin Berka reports for Ars Technica.
“In the complaint seen by Ars Technica, two Miami residents are suing Apple for allegedly violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Part of the FCRA states that no more than the last five digits of a credit or debit card number can be printed on a receipt, and that the expiration date cannot be printed on a receipt. The suit argues that Apple’s practice of putting the last four digits, expiration date, and other personal information on the receipt greatly increases the chances of identity theft, and violates the FCRA,” Berka reports.
Berka reports, “The law firm responsible for the suit has filed numerous other suites related to the FCRA.”
More in the full article here.
Who wants to sue Apple for those damn double-drawstring Apple Store bags! Come on, we can make a mint: 59-cents to each “affected” customer and a couple hundred grand to the lawyers.
I wonder when this suit was filed. I just checked an iTunes store receipt from June, when I did an upgrade to DRM-free music. It only shows the last 4 digits of my credit card and no expiration dates. Looking further back, it’s the same for January. Going back to 2005, my receipts only say “Billed to Visa” without any numbers.
Seems like something is amiss…
Ok, I can agree with not putting the expiration date on the receipt. (Somewhat) Question: What maniac with the exception of maybe one 14 year old, freckel faced nerd with ABSOLUTELY NO SOCIAL LIFE is going to go through hundreds of credit card companies to match up the rest of the numbers? And how long with this take without Darpa’s help anyway? Last question and I think you know the answer to it. ARE ALL LAWYERS THIS CLUELESS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY?
Did they even bother to ask Apple to change?
“What?!?!?! Other people might see when my bank card expires?!?!?!?! The horror!!! Nobody is safe!!!”
And what is one of the pieces of information you need to sucessfully use a credit card in an online or phone transaction?
“MJK: You’re clearly an idiot.”
Further, if you start setting fire to things in a mall with a lighter these days, a security guard or cop who thinks you are a terrorist will probably blow you away.
So MJK: go ahead with your brilliant idea, you obviously need to be cleansed from the gene pool.
@c1 [not looking at you directly]… ROTFL.
Start a campaign to make it THE LAW.
I don’t know what the law says about the subject, but if Apple acted against what is said, then Apple should face the consequences of its actions. Sometimes firms act so arrogantly thinking that they can do whatever they want and “if you don’t like it, then sue me”. Well…wishes became reality.
But reading MDN take and some of the comments, I no longer feel strange when Mac users are labeled as a bunch of brainwashed individuals, ‘sect’, ‘cult’ …
When Microsoft does wrong acording to law, then it is pure evil…in the case of Apple it is a conspiracy against it or, simply, something to get some money. Oh well…when will people understand that a firm (whatever its name is) only cares about profits that comes, yes, you guessed right, from your wallet. And it will do whatever it takes to get it. To allow it or not depends on consumers themselves, but people insist on not to see it, or they just don’t want to see it.
Fanatics….well, you can find them no matter the plattform you are using. But in the Mac side, there are the worse I ever know/heard of. Wonder why I’m still a Mac user myself.
Don’t people realize, laws are for other companies, not Apple.
It’s really quite simple, when Apple breaks the law that’s OK because we all like Apple products.
When other companies like Microsoft break the law, then the directors should be locked up or, preferably executed.
Just remember when analysing these kinds of situations, laws are written for other companies to follow, not Apple.
@ UberMacUserFanboy
Thank you, finally some sarcasm that makes sense.
I just bought something from Amazon. Remembering this article I looked at my receipt: last five digits and the expiration date.
When are they going to sue Amazon?
I just bought something from Amazon. Remembering this article I looked at my receipt: last five digits and the expiration date.
When are they going to sue Amazon?
I just bought something from Amazon. Remembering this article I looked at my receipt: last five digits and the expiration date.
When are they going to sue Amazon?
I just bought something from Amazon. Remembering this article I looked at my receipt: last five digits and the expiration date.
When are they going to sue Amazon?
DOH! Only now did I realize this is for the Apple Store, not the iTunes Store. My Apple Store receipts are all fine as well, only showing the last 4 digits and no expiration. These are from 2006 and 2007.
I wonder when this suit was filed. I just checked an iTunes <i>store receipt from June, when I did an upgrade to DRM-free music. It only shows the last 4 digits of my credit card and no expiration dates. Looking further back, it’s the same for January. Going back to 2005, my receipts only say “Billed to Visa” without any numbers.
Seems like something is amiss…
If you reread the article, it states that the purchase was from the Apple Store Online. This receipt was not printed by a retailer, it was printed by the customer himself.
[I already posted this, but apparently no one read it.]
From the FCRA:
Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, no person that accepts credit cards or debit cards for the transaction of business shall print more than the last 5 digits of the card number or the expiration date upon any receipt provided to the cardholder at the point of the sale or transaction.
This is from the Senate Judiciary Committee discussing the bill in question:
[A]ddresses the problematic practice of leaving a full credit number and expiration date on a merchant receipt accessible to store personnel. Some retailers already truncate credit and debit card numbers on both the customer and merchant receipts in an effort to protect their customers. SB 1699 simply expands the law requiring card numbers to be taken off of receipts handed to the customer to also require the numbers to be removed from the receipts kept by the merchant.
The FCRA rule covers receipts printed by the “person that accepts credit cards or debit cards for the transaction of business”. Clearly Apple did not do the printing here.
Also, in the discussion, it is clear that the law applies to receipts “handed to the customer” and “accessible to store personnel”. The receipt in question is neither.
To Generic Human, Quad Core, etc.:
Why do all of you assume that initial attempts at corrective action, through letters and complaints, have NOT been filed with Apple prior to the suit? A lot of commenters on this site are sure quick to jump to assumptions about things.
Whether initial complaints were lodged or not, I would think the attorneys filing the class action suit would want to solidify their case by demonstrating willful disregard on the part of Apple, as opposed to just negligence. If correspondence was sent to Apple and ignored, then indeed willful disregard can be argued. No one here knows all the facts though, so why are any of you assuming anything?
Personally, I don’t feel class action suits are the best method of resolving issues…. however, in terms of something as damaging as fraud and identity theft, I will applaud any efforts that will protect my identification.
Texas, cubert, is a large asteroid where people and things are mixed up real bad …an androgenous boy nerd looks on as a dying cowboy sucks the life out of a marlboro ..the nerd can’t look away but gropes in his pocket for his iPhone to call his androgenous girlfriend to tell her that Texas is headed for Earth and there are going to be a lot of tumbleweeds …and a dead cowboy. Not far away the cast of Dallas is investigating the crash site of three illegal aliens. Earth keeps getting bigger in the viewfinder cubert and it’s hard to keep on topic but I hope this answers your question.