Report: Radio Shack To Sell Customers' Personal Information In Bankruptcy Sale
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- When you go shopping, you probably think stores will keep your personal information safe and secure.
But now, a report says Radio Shack is ready to auction off customer information as part of its bankruptcy sale.
As CBS2's Dick Brennan reported, the report says Radio Shack is ready to sell information they have on some 117 million customers, including names, addresses, phone numbers and other details on purchases.
This despite the Radio Shack privacy policy, which says "We will not sell or rent your personally identifiable information to anyone at any time."
And some consumer experts say what Radio Shack is doing is nothing new.
"People are looking at Radio Shack now and they are gonna vilify Radio Shack," said consumer expert Paul Viollis. "But at the end of the day, Radio Shack isn't doing anything all other major corporations haven't been doing for many years."
But states are lining up against the move. The Texas attorney general has filed an objection to the sale.
And now, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has issued a statement, saying "When a company collects private customer data on the condition that it will not be resold, it is the company's responsibility to uphold their end of the bargain."
So while this may become a legal battle, consumers are left wondering what they can do to protect their information.
Viollis says, just say no.
"When you go shopping the proprietor is not entitled to any personal information outside of the information you need to effect that transaction," he said. "So if they are going to ask you anything additional, the answer is absolutely not."
Schneiderman says his office will continue to follow the Radio Shack bankruptcy and whether it auctions off private data.
Schneiderman says he's committed to taking appropriate action to protect consumers.