This post comes closest to the real issue. It's perfectly legal for your friend to use such a program, but quite illegal for anyone else to use it, even you when you're testing it. This is because only your friend is the authorized user of any such accounts.

It then only becomes illegal for your friend to use such a program if it creates some sort of unnecessary system load on the various companies' servers. Not likely, but you might be liable if it's due to a bug in your code (in theory, anyway).

But if you think about it, the real problem that every post here has danced around is whether or not such a script doesn't have some pretty nasty inherent security flaws. Is it wise for such a program to exist anywhere that has automated access to your friend's financial information? Even the companies in question only have access to their own data, not ALL of it.

I would refuse to set up such a system. If he wants someone to watch his balances for him, he needs a personal assistant and an agreement with the banks that the assistant has access to the info (or a caring wife whose name is also on the accounts). :-)

Or, best of all, he should find out whether or not the banks themselves offer some sort of similar service. (You never know, and way more secure than any of the above.)

In reply to Re^2: OT: How legal are automated logins by Rhys
in thread OT: How legal are automated logins by fletcher_the_dog

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