CBS denies Techcrunch claims, in a rather precise manner

Following Techcrunch's repeating of claims that Last FM and CBS might be sharing user data with record labels, CBS have joined Last FM in issuing a very carefully-worded denial:

“Both CBS and the RIAA have already stated quite clearly, for the record, that absolutely no individual user or listener information was supplied to the RIAA by Last.fm or any division of CBS Corporation in the past, nor do we plan to do so in the future. The story posted by the Web site was based on an unnamed tipster. No inquiry was made to CBS or Last.fm about the veracity of the anonymous source. Those who consult such blogs should be aware of the standard by which such postings are sourced and published.”

Yes, that's telling them, CBS - don't trust blogs and bloggers. Stick to reliable sources like CBS News, who would never run a dubious story without first checking its veracity a million times. Unless, you know, it was a supposed memo about George Bush's military record.

So, we're now in a situation with two organisations refusing to back down on their sides, although CBS and LastFM seem to be denying something slightly different from what Techcrunch are claiming; Techcrunch, though, making their allegation into an ever-widening catchall blanket which could end up with "aah, Last FM let a record label look at their website" at this rate.

If the Techcrunch story is true, it's bloody important. But if they can't stack it up any more soundly than redacted emails from anonymous tipsters, they might need to let it drop.