| Author |
Message |
Ross Rifle
Title: Rock N Roll God
Joined: Oct 29 2006
Location: Chilliwack, BC
Posts: 4844
|
So I work in the redbox call center. Everyday we get a whole shit-ton of calls about broken discs, broken machines, "illegitimate" charges, and the like. The other day though, I got a call that really shook me up.
"Hi, this is a sheriff from Austin, Texas, and I need to get some information on a girl who's gone missing".
So I gave the sheriff all the transaction information (time, location, date, the like), and then the sheriff asked a rather flustered me the names of the movies, which I gave him. This is a mistake that I shall touch on in a moment.
I found out today that this missing persons case turned into a homicide. As if that wasn't bad enough, someone at redbox corporate heard the call and saw that I broke the law.
Now, which law did I break? The Video Privacy Protection Act, incorporated by Sydlexia.com's favorite president, little Ronnie Reagan. This law prevents the release of rented media titles without confirming the identity of the person as the renter.
I didn't do this, and if a particularly ruthless Defense Attorney finds that out, the whole case could be thrown out of court.
Justice in exchange for a shitty George Clooney movie.
|
|
|
     |
|
|
sidewaydriver
2010 SLF Tag Champ
Title: ( ͡� 
Joined: May 11 2008
Posts: 6160
|
I would think it'd be more the sheriff's fault than yours. If he wanted to know the info, he should have gone through the proper channels to get it. He's the law man, he should know the law.
|
 Shake it, Quake it, Space Kaboom. |
|
|
|
|
Ross Rifle
Title: Rock N Roll God
Joined: Oct 29 2006
Location: Chilliwack, BC
Posts: 4844
|
I was supposed to transfer the call, but I didn't. I know I did wrong, and my employers have forgiven me. I'm just kinda worried about the case.
|
|
|
|
|
|
username
Title: owner of a lonely heart
Joined: Jul 06 2007
Location: phoenix, az usa
Posts: 16135
|
dont you guys have a law enforcement dept, ross? i think we have to transfer to the credit security dept if the law calls us.
|
| Klimbatize wrote: |
| I'll eat a turkey sandwich while blowing my load |
|
|
  |
|
|
Ross Rifle
Title: Rock N Roll God
Joined: Oct 29 2006
Location: Chilliwack, BC
Posts: 4844
|
Yeah, that was what I was supposed to do, but I was pretty thrown by the call and forgot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
username
Title: owner of a lonely heart
Joined: Jul 06 2007
Location: phoenix, az usa
Posts: 16135
|
eh, you're fairly new, im sure you wont get into too much trouble. sure you'll get a write-up, but its not like you knew.
|
| Klimbatize wrote: |
| I'll eat a turkey sandwich while blowing my load |
|
|
|
|
|
Syd Lexia
Site Admin
Title: Pop Culture Junkie
Joined: Jul 30 2005
Location: Wakefield, MA
Posts: 24887
|
Do you know why Reagan had the law enacted? Because Ted Kennedy and his buddies dug up Supreme Court hopeful Robert Bork's rental history, hoping to find porn and embarrass him. They didn't, but they leaked it to the press anyway. It was a dick move, and people deserve better. Hence, we now have rental privacy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ross Rifle
Title: Rock N Roll God
Joined: Oct 29 2006
Location: Chilliwack, BC
Posts: 4844
|
Yeah, I know why that was brought into play, and I completely agree with it. I'm not even going to get in trouble for it because I went to my supervisor right after the call and told him I thought something was up. I'm only concerned about this poor woman's family.
And let's not even get into the fact that I just found out that she's a 21-year-old mom.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Syd Lexia
Site Admin
Title: Pop Culture Junkie
Joined: Jul 30 2005
Location: Wakefield, MA
Posts: 24887
|
Oh wow. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
JStrangiato
Title: El Hombre Strangiato
Joined: Jun 12 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 1291
|
| Ross Rifle wrote: |
| "Hi, this is a sheriff from Austin, Texas, and I need to get some information on a girl who's gone missing". |
Seriously, do we have a "fucking state of Texas" page on the Sydapedia yet? And why haven't I heard about this before? At least Ross won't get in trouble.
|
My music/humor blog (R.I.P.): http://lavidastrangiato.blogspot.com/
| Chondra "Mrs. Claudio" Sanchez on Enshin a.k.a. Jake Strangiato wrote: |
| I really like this person. |
|
|
|
|
|
Syd Lexia
Site Admin
Title: Pop Culture Junkie
Joined: Jul 30 2005
Location: Wakefield, MA
Posts: 24887
|
|
|
|
|
SoldierHawk
Moderator
Title: Warrior-Poet
Joined: Jan 15 2009
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 6113
|
| Syd Lexia wrote: |
| Do you know why Reagan had the law enacted? Because Ted Kennedy and his buddies dug up Supreme Court hopeful Robert Bork's rental history, hoping to find porn and embarrass him. They didn't, but they leaked it to the press anyway. It was a dick move, and people deserve better. Hence, we now have rental privacy. |
If only one of his greatest (ostensibly) advocates had been so thoughtful with the American people's library checkout history.
Ross i'm so sorry to hear about this situation. i hope it all works out ok.
|
| William Shakespeare wrote: |
| Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. |
|
|
|
|
|
Undeath
Title: Facepuncher of Asses
Joined: Jan 15 2009
Location: Here
Posts: 608
|
Being a former video store employee myself, I am fully aware of this law and indeed, have come across 'police officers' trying to get rental history from customers' accounts. If I gather correctly, Ross is Canadian, and thus not quite subject to that law anyway, but we were told we'd have to transfer them to a different department in the home office to even start the process of getting those records, and they were to have a subpoena to even sniff them. Something sounds really fishy. I could see the police wanting to get times and all, but to know movies that person rented... that really doesn't smell right. More like a stalker than a policeman.
Hopefully all goes well and Ross doesn't end up in trouble, but, having been on that same end of the situation, I've had several requests for records, and only one end up being followed through, or legit, really. To take it to the extreme, and I REALLY hope this isn't the case, the 'officer' might've been a stalker who used those records to get to the girl.
|
| Cracked.com wrote: |
"MARGARINE IS ONE MOLECULE AWAY FROM PLASTIC."
Not only is that not right, that's not even wrong. It's a meaningless statement. Saying something is "one molecule away" from plastic is like saying a farm is one letter away from a fart. Water is "one molecule away" from being explosive hydrogen gas. |
|
|
|
|
|
Blackout
Title: Captain Oblivious
Joined: Sep 01 2007
Location: That Rainy State
Posts: 10376
|
Always be wary of fishers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
GPFontaine
Joined: Dec 06 2007
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 11244
|
Ross, can they even call you as a witness since you live outside the country?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ross Rifle
Title: Rock N Roll God
Joined: Oct 29 2006
Location: Chilliwack, BC
Posts: 4844
|
Nope, I'm not a witness or anything like that. If I were anything linked with the case, I'd be evidence or an accessory to a crime I can't be punished for (that ccime being breaking VPPA, not murder).
|
|
|
|
|
|
UsaSatsui
Title: The White Rabbit
Joined: May 25 2008
Location: Hiding
Posts: 7565
|
| Ross Rifle wrote: |
| Nope, I'm not a witness or anything like that. If I were anything linked with the case, I'd be evidence or an accessory to a crime I can't be punished for (that ccime being breaking VPPA, not murder). |
Doesn't your Canuckishness make you unable to be be arrested for this? I mean, unless the call center is in the US. Since when does breaking an American low in non-American territory get you in American trouble?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ross Rifle
Title: Rock N Roll God
Joined: Oct 29 2006
Location: Chilliwack, BC
Posts: 4844
|
I won't get in any legal trouble whatsoever, but I still have to follow the law as I only speak with Americans. And because it is a law with my customer, we get an automatic zero on our call reviews if we don't follow it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Blackout
Title: Captain Oblivious
Joined: Sep 01 2007
Location: That Rainy State
Posts: 10376
|
He really said "this is a sheriff from Austin Texas"? He identify himself like Hi this is Sheriff Scarlett Throat from Lickspittle County? Makes me think someone was fishing for information. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ross Rifle
Title: Rock N Roll God
Joined: Oct 29 2006
Location: Chilliwack, BC
Posts: 4844
|
No, he said his name haha. I just don't remember.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
