Comcast Sued For Handing Over Subscriber Info To The RIAA

from the privacy-issues... dept

After quite a long battle, the courts finally decided that ISPs didn't have to just hand over subscriber info whenever the RIAA came calling. The RIAA needed to first file a lawsuit and a subpoena -- going through the official legal process to get someone's info. However, what happens when an ISP does just hand over a name? That question is now being raised, as a woman has sued Comcast for disclosing her private information to the recording industry, claiming they violated her privacy. No lawsuit was filed by the RIAA. Comcast just gave her info over to them -- and the RIAA then passed it on to some sort of collections agency. What's strange here is that, while Verizon was clearly willing to fight to protect the privacy of its subscribers, it appears Comcast had no problem rolling right over when the RIAA came calling.