IMO, our personal information is being passed around (sold) too easily & without our approval but I'm curious what other TBers thoughts are on the matter...
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PRIVACY: Your thoughts...
- Thread starter ElectrAcoustic
- Start date
ANYTIME you sign up for something, think about it. It's a gateway for others to get your info, so if you want some card or whatever, think twice about do you really need it. For the most part, I get spam cause of spots I know i didn't need to put my info. NOT from ordering stuff from places i respect.
But that aside, there is a fine line. I'd like cameras installed in public places for evidence to every day crimes, but some people consider this invasion of privacy. These same people would like to dictate how I conduct myself in my own home as well, recreationally.
Point is, different people have different ideas of what privacy should and can be, and half the people screaming about invasion are the same ones telling you what you should and shouldn't be doing in your life.
But that aside, there is a fine line. I'd like cameras installed in public places for evidence to every day crimes, but some people consider this invasion of privacy. These same people would like to dictate how I conduct myself in my own home as well, recreationally.
Point is, different people have different ideas of what privacy should and can be, and half the people screaming about invasion are the same ones telling you what you should and shouldn't be doing in your life.
I agree. I follow it very closely. Any time I filled out financial information, within days, I start getting junk mail related to it. I just started using a financial planner and he's handling all that now. He told me a few horror stories as well. The worst of the worst is in house credit at car dealerships. They have people standing in line for you're address, credit info, etc. One thing that keeps it in check is having ONE source or line of credit and one person managing it, at a different location than your own. It's like a firewall. Our financial guy writes any and all paper checks that need to be sent and handles any credit related paperwork as well. We also have a debit account that our plastic draws from. It's impossible to loose more than what's in the account in case of credit card or identity theft. For what we pay him each year, it's MORE than worth it.
hmmm.. one thing I've noticed is that the amount of junk mail I'm getting for credit cards, etc. just went thru the roof this summer.. I get at least one a day now.. But that's just an annoyance.. when I hear that phone companies are selling information without our knowledge or approval, that's when I get really concerned..
I find it humorous, that telemarketing companies actually find anyone who listens, or even buys into, their sales pitches. I get phone call after phone call from house remodelers or car dealerships offering sales. Don't they know that the entire world despises their very existence?
I'm just gonna start telling them, "Simply because you're a telemarketer, I automatically hate you and will not care, nor pay attention to what you're offering me. Go ahead, keep talking, knowing fully that I am NOT paying any attention to you from here until the time you hang up on yourself."
I'm just gonna start telling them, "Simply because you're a telemarketer, I automatically hate you and will not care, nor pay attention to what you're offering me. Go ahead, keep talking, knowing fully that I am NOT paying any attention to you from here until the time you hang up on yourself."
Learn to say "no."
When the cashier at Bob's Discount Meats asks for your phone number say "no."
When they try to get you to sign up for the Circuit Blasters Plus card (acompanied by a 4 page application -- and its not a CC, just a "discount" card) say "no."
This type of thing has gotten to be so commonplace that people forget they can simply refuse to give out the info.
Alternatively, try asking "Why do you need that?" the next time the cashier asks you for your email address when you're buying a pack of gum.
When the cashier at Bob's Discount Meats asks for your phone number say "no."
When they try to get you to sign up for the Circuit Blasters Plus card (acompanied by a 4 page application -- and its not a CC, just a "discount" card) say "no."
This type of thing has gotten to be so commonplace that people forget they can simply refuse to give out the info.
Alternatively, try asking "Why do you need that?" the next time the cashier asks you for your email address when you're buying a pack of gum.
Good point.. thing is, I haven't given anyone any info, except maybe GC years ago, but I don't mind getting their junk mail.. hmmm, maybe they're the ones... I think my next move is to give a slightly different name to a company that requires personal info and see who they sell my "name" to...
I don't like that when I type certain things into google that my TB posts show up.
Oh well. Hopefully some people do not care enough to look.
Oh well. Hopefully some people do not care enough to look.
My thoughts are that many times people give consent to this without realizing it. Everyone should read the fine print more often. I don't put my information on nayhting without knowing where it could end up.
I'm sure most of this people on this website have the grocery "discount" card. Congratualtions. You've not only given away your basic info, you're electronically matching your purchases with your name at that store. So now its not just your ID, but your habits (eating and otherwise) that are known. That info would be worth a bit of money to a lot of people. But, hey!!!! You got to save a few bucks with that card!!
Needless to say, most of my purchases are with cash and I don't use those cards.
Mike
Data mining personal info is big business. Some companies make a ton of $$$ just selling the info they collect from you when you call their 1800 number. (try calling a correspondence school like Pen Foster and see if you can get them to answer a question before you give them your info. The reason: even if you don't sign up for one of their crap courses they can make some $ off your information. Their phone agents (reverse telemarketers) get in trouble if they answer any of your questions before you hand over your name, address, age, past education etc.
There is a huge company called Choicepoint that is one of the bigger data miners out there. They are also very connected with the gov't. They put together the highly flawed caging lists for the past two presidential elections. They have received many high $$$ contracts since. It gets worse but you can do the research on your own!
There is a huge company called Choicepoint that is one of the bigger data miners out there. They are also very connected with the gov't. They put together the highly flawed caging lists for the past two presidential elections. They have received many high $$$ contracts since. It gets worse but you can do the research on your own!
or something similarly named. I have been getting calls for a year and half from people who pay big ching to buy this list. I am so far from qualifying to be on a list of this nature that it is comical.
Best of Luck,
Wesley R.
Best of Luck,
Wesley R.
The classic response, courtesy of Seinfeld.
As for data mining, it's frightening how much of your personal information is out there. My cousin (who works for the NSA) has hinted that what the government knows about you is even more frightening.
Worse yet, a lot of this info is available for purchase. A friend of mine emailed me links for MapQuest, Google Earth and Zabasearch, jokingly calling them part of the "stalker's toolkit". Freaky.
