Originally Posted by
polonius
Once again, if it is perfectly legal, how is it they are liable if they do so?
Every company I have ever worked for has that as a policy. Read the privacy policy the company commits to when you sign up for Google or Flyertalk. They very clearly indicate your information will not be shared, except under a very few, very limited circumstances, invariably including the production of a warrant, subpoena or court order. Even in the absence of such a written policy, your bank could not, for example, publish your banking transactions, or your telephone service provider publish your calling records without your permission. Those are your records and they cannot be shared without either your consent or legal order.
It is not illegal for McDonald's to sell overly hot coffee but that still cost them a ton of money. You can be civilly liable for a wholly legal act if the person suing you can prove to a jury that you in some way injured them. (financial, physical, emotional)
A business would open themselves up to a host of lawsuits if they published your information, but providing information in good faith to aid in a police investigation would offer them some protection.
Flyer Talk and other websites place their privacy policy only to bend to public pressure due to publicity about site that sell your email address and other personal information. By placing that privacy policy they are making a contract with the user. If they broke that policy you could sue them for breach of contract but not much more.
Do you ever get junk mail? Do you realize that I can buy a list that includes your name, sex, income, marital status, address, mortgage amount, mortgage balance, auto ownership, auto loan balance, and credit score? All of it legal.
And I am heading to bed, good night.