New York Times article From "kayodeok"'s post over on the GRC "Privacy" forum: "YOUR mother's maiden name is not the secret you think it is. That sort of "personal identifier" being used by banks, credit agencies, doctors, insurers and retailers - supposedly to protect you against the theft of your identity - can be found out in a flash from a member of the new security-industrial complex. There goes the "personal identifier" that you presume a stranger would not know, along with your Social Security number and soon your face and DNA. In the past five years, what most of us only recently thought of as "nobody's business" has become the big business of everybody's business. Perhaps you are one of the 30 million Americans who pay for what you think is an unlisted telephone number to protect your privacy. But when you order an item using an 800 number, your own number may become fair game for any retailer who subscribes to one of the booming corporate data-collection services. In turn, those services may be - and some have been - penetrated by identity thieves. [...] Robert O'Harrow Jr.'s "No Place to Hide" might just do for privacy protection what Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" did for environmental protection nearly a half-century ago. The author, a reporter for The Washington Post, does not write in anger. Sputtering outrage, which characterizes the writing of many of us in the anti-snooping minority, is not O'Harrow's style. His is the work of a careful, thorough, enterprising reporter, possibly the only one assigned to the privacy beat by a major American newspaper. He has interviewed many of the major, and largely unknown, players in the world of surveillance and dossier assembly, and provides extensive source notes in the back of his book. He not only reports their professions of patriotism and plausible arguments about the necessity of screening to security, but explains the profitability to modern business of "consumer relationship management." [...] The author devotes chapters to the techniques of commercial data gatherers and sellers like Acxiom, Seisint and the British-owned LexisNexis, not household names themselves, but boasting computers stuffed with the names and pictures of each member of the nation's households as well as hundreds of millions of their credit cards. He quotes Ole Poulsen, chief technology officer of Seisint, on its digital identity system: "We have created a unique identifier on everybody in the United States. Data that belongs together is already linked together." Soon after 9/11, having seen the system that was to become the public-private surveillance engine called Matrix (in computer naming, life follows film art), Michael Mullaney, a counterterrorism official at the Justice Department, told O'Harrow: "I sat down and said, 'These guys have the computer that every American is afraid of.' " Sounds like a really good book to read if you need any convincing as to how far down the toilet things have gotten. Pete
True ..True..but then it is easier to flush when you have plenty of water in the tank...and keep the door closed.
Like I mentioned in another thread. Never-Never under estimate the power of a Database. The phone company sells new businesses phone numbers. We were getting calls from "spammers" long before we were in the book. Most of the info gathering is for one of the oldest reasons in the book. MONEY. I.E. The more info they have on you.....The more your name is worth. no matter...who or what is gathering it.
I hope they choke on all that information someday, when WE need information to save a life, help someone, or just plain live, we have to jump through hoops ON FIRE! I might read that book, on a day I am pretty sure it won't make me sick.
But what about the new Lexis security breech? http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11378174.htm Bruce
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7467732/ This three-page article points up the fact that not only are you un-able to find out or correct in-accurate information held in various databases about you (assuming it hasn't been stolen or sold) - but you can't even depend on the information that's in the databases to protect you from those who are criminals due to the inherent incompleteness of the databases! Does "better than nothing" cut it as a reason for these databases existence - or the governments' purchasing/using the information found within to create our dossiers? I think not. Pete
Pete The biggest problem here in the USA is illeagle alieans stealing our SS numbers and using them to create bad credit. At present our GOV has no problem with this. That means Social services and the IRS. Bruce
If that's your view, perhaps you should give this a read and respond to it. If you don't, they'll probably be coming across the borders pre-equipped with American identities. Pete
Yes that is my view because I have some good friends that work for social services. It is a shame, the refugies ect can come here, get our social security and welfare bennies while not having to pay any taxes for 7 years. Now that the world is becomming a cold war world again I think we need to stop. It is a fact that all the countries we give aid to and help when there is a national disaster, don't like us after and are ungrateful for the most part. Here are the facts. China & India just signed an strategic agreement. India supplies the software, China supplies the hardware. Russia supplies A reactor to Iran, then says they are developing a stealthed long range missle. China passes the new recession law. Basicly says if Tiawan goes as a independent state, they will use force. USA say if China does we will side with Tiawan. The world is becomming a very bad place again. I could go on and on but we know how the forum doesn't like politics here. Bruce
Geez, I could tell you stories about identity theives with every last bit of the victim's information. Something will have to break sooner or later, because some of these guys are unstoppable. We can fortify our own computers like Fort Knox, but we can only hope that the companies we patronize even pay attention. Heh, some days I think it's a good thing that my credit is so bad that nobody will extend me any more.
Government ID's and Databases are a bitter pill to swallow, but in reality, they do need to know who is who. Today they clearly cannot. I don't really know where I stand on this issue, but there is what I consider much easier privacy protections put in place that I would love to see...even mentioned. I am thinking about laws to regulate private corporations from collecting personal information that has nothing to do with any service related to the company. It makes my blood boil when I install a software package and the "required fields" involve my name, address, phone number, and sometimes even a lot more (company name, job title, age, sex, household income, hobbies interests...) It is so clearly unreasonable for companies to exert pressure to obtain personal information about customers that I can hardly believe that most people accept it with out question If some of you feel this is reasonable, I'd love to hear why! - HandsOff
I have come to accept that Wilders is a safe haven I give my info freely to those software venders that sell here If I have made a misstake, I will deal with it later. I think we are safe here and hope it is not all about money in the end. IF I find out otherwise I am sure I will be peoed LOL I have this thought that Wilders is a safe haven. Bruce
It's pretty bad when you have to show your driver's license to return something you paid for with a receipt, or when people just expect you to give them your SS# or they won't give the refund, the information, etc. Then have the gov. put on Public Service messages on TV saying "What ever you do - Don't give out your SS#!" The next day, some clerk is telling you - you HAVE to or we won't do this transaction. WHAT?? No wonder people are wandering around with blank stares half the time, practically every company claims to need all this info, if you don't want to, fine. They just go to the last place you did business and get it from their subsiduary, the one they bought last week. It doesn't seem like any one is on the regular person's side in this, the ID thieves are treated with kid gloves, because they MIGHT be the real person- not you, the one asking for help, no you must be the bad guy, I guess. My $53.00, or has it gone up again?
To controller, My position as far as trust is in line with yours. Trust is not the issue. I think you have to trust your security programs. You are on the same team. They cannot accomplish anything without your trust. You are partners, in a way. But that asside, I can trust you with what you need to know and still tell you you have no write to collect demographics on me as a person. I am quite sure they do not beam my software key to me until my payment is validated. In my book that is the extent of what they need to know about me. Next time one of them asks about my hobbies and interests, I am going to tell them my biggest hobby is supplying fictional answers for software registrations. -HandsOff
