Consumer backlash erupts after backpack in video from UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting is identified by its manufacturer
(CNN) — The CEO of a company that makes high-end backpacks said he and his employees have received threats after reports he contacted a police tip line when he spotted one of the company’s bags in the surveillance video of the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Peter Dering, the founder and CEO of San Francisco-based company Peak Design, issued a statement Friday after he told the New York Times in a report published on December 5, as soon as he saw photos of the bag, he contacted police. Dering also told the Times if police were to ask for help he would “check with his general counsel about what information he could release without violating the company’s privacy guidelines.”
“We take our customer privacy seriously. There is misinformation being shared on social media that has triggered many serious threats for the safety of not only me, but our employees as well,” Dering said in the statement. “I ask that you please consider the facts we are providing here and continue to instill trust in the Peak.”
Dering had told the Times in the December 5 story the person at the tip line who answered his call said there were “hundreds” of calls identifying the gray bag worn by alleged gunman Luigi Mangione as a Peak Design item.
Still, some have taken to social media to call Dering a “snitch.” One TikTok user suggested Peak Design bag owners remove the serial tags on their bags and others have suggested returning bags.
It is standard for a company to share customer information in response to a court order or subpoena, according to Greg Ewing, a data privacy attorney in Washington, DC.
“It’s the approach most companies are poised to take in this situation,” he said.
Are companies violating consumer privacy?
Amid data and privacy concerns, users have questioned what tracking serial numbers means for customers re-selling products or buying secondhand.
“What if somebody gave this to me as a gift and now I’m going to jail because they committed a crime, because you wanted to tell somebody that was my backpack? That is very scary,” one TikTok user posted to the social media platform.
Ewing said such a scenario is possible. The issue is companies are limited by the data they collect and, in the case of Peak Design, data is voluntarily registered. If a product is sold and not re-registered, information could be tracked to whoever first made the purchase.
Another TikTok user posted in a video, “nobody wants you to save the day.” The user questioned what information the company has access to.
“You didn’t have to tell anybody about anything,” the user said.
Ewing said it is common for companies to collect information about their customers for marketing purposes. In Peak Design’s case, some customers registered products to receive a warranty. Peak Design added “serializing” its products allows the company to track product issues, including defects.
“Tracing purchases has been a law enforcement technique for decades. They can just get a warrant to access the data if the company refuses to,” a TikTok user commented.
This incident may be similar to police officers tracking a car that comes through a crime scene, Ewing suggested. Cars are registered through states and corporations, which makes them easily traceable to their owners.
“It’s a similar idea,” Ewing said. “In our economy, our world, certain things are required to be registered. There are certain things that are optionally registered — consumer products, like this, are one of those.”
Ewing added Dering took the proper law-abiding steps and noted consumers who are concerned about privacy don’t need to disclose their personal information.
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CNN’s Chris Boyette contributed to this report.
