Monday, August 03, 2009
Have You Seen This?
If this is true, the government appears to be permitted to completely take over your computer if you log onto Car.Gov for the Cash for Clunkers program and accept the privacy statement. There seems to be a great deal of discussion on various sites as to whether the privacy statement exists at all and as to whether it says what Beck says it does. Some people think that it is only the dealer log in page that requires that you give up all your information to big brother...but even so...should Uncle BO be allowed to look into everything on a business computer like that?
Anyhow, I am not logging in there to find out.
I hope you will share your thoughts on whether this is actually in the privacy statement and if so, what it actually will mean to folks who opt into it. Meanwhile, I would avoid that site like a patch of radioactive poison ivy. Good grief!!
The overexcited tone in the video tips me off to the idea that perhaps it isn't true. He does leave out parts of the registration agreement, which is also a tip-off that maybe it's the usual Fox news hype.
ReplyDeleteI went to the website and it says consumers don't have to register or do anything special.
I did not go into the dealer part of the site, which is what Beck was talking about. If so, I'd guess it's boilerplate for any federal government website, and not new. Anybody who's registering to get federal money probably should expect close oversight.
Something about that didn't sound right to me, so I googled it, and came up with this info: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/1/760538/-Beck-conspiracy-theory:-Cash-for-clunkers-site-lets-Feds-control-your-PC
ReplyDeleteApparently that "terms of use" is not really from the cars.gov website, it's from some special website just for the dealers who've already been approved for the program.
It's upsetting that people on tv like to go for big ratings, by trying to scare people to death all the time, or get them all worked up about things that aren't even really true...
Thanks for this, 3C. I'm gonna post it, too.
ReplyDeleteFYI, June's profile says her industry is "government." So who ya' gonna trust: her or Glenn Beck?
Ummm. Nope, not really true at all. I've been to the www.cars.gov site and had not even seen a "privacy" check box anywhere. You can pretty safely go through the process of finding out if your clunker qualifies for a rebate and never give any personal information at all.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the dealer's side is different since that will tell them how much $$$ your vehicle qualifies for (that little tidbit isn't provided to the commoners).
Oh, and akaGaGa? Trust June on this one.
The government giving out taxpayers money so folks can buy cars that the government now makes thanks to the bailout.
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful world.
Snopes is on it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/clunkers.asp
Apparently part of the deal, for dealers, is that they are not allowed to resell the trade-ins, among other rules.
Beck himself also points out that the caveat applies "while logged in," so it is not a constant surveillance thing.
Stupid lawyers.
ReplyDeleteI just like how a person who drives a 1996 Mercury Cugar V-6 that gets 19 MPG is ineligible for the program, but somebody driving a 2010 Rolls Royce car of 2010 Silverado K15 pickup can trade in their car and have it smashed for the $4,500 for gov't cash.
Try this one out http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/04/white-house-launches-counteroffensive-over-drudge-report-link/ I heard about it going home.
ReplyDeleteLinda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/