PRIVACY Forum Digest        Friday, 17 July 1992        Volume 01 : Issue 08

         Moderated by Lauren Weinstein (lauren@cv.vortex.com)
                Vortex Technology, Topanga, CA, U.S.A.
        
                     ===== PRIVACY FORUM =====

          The PRIVACY Forum digest is supported in part by the 
              ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy.


CONTENTS
        Rental applications and privacy (Willis H. Ware)
        Topic Suggestion: Personal Experiences (Moderator--Lauren Weinstein)

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VOLUME 01, ISSUE 08

    Quote for the day:

        "When the plumber Zabladowski has installed the last sink,
         I want him disintegrated.  I want you to disintegrate him
         slowly.  I want him to suffer.  Atom by atom.  At dawn!"
        
                       -- Dr. Terwilliker
                          "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T" (1953)

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Date:    Tue, 07 Jul 92 17:00:28 PDT
From:    "Willis H. Ware" <willis%iris@rand.org>
Subject: Rental applications and privacy

RE: susie@cv.vortex.com (Susie Hirsch) and the problem with rental
applications.  I'm afraid that she psyched it out right: hope for the best
and trust that you won't be victimized.

Actually this is one example of what I referred to 10-15 years ago as
"data puddles" -- small collections of personal and possibly sensitive
information -- that would get created and lie around as a byproduct of
being in some line of business.  My example at the time was the databases
accumulated in the checkout stands of supermarkets or small grocery
outlets.  Another example was bankcard drafts, especially before
California outlawed the collection of driver license numbers by the
merchant who usually also added the fone number as well.

There is no law, only the implied behavior of business ethics, that will
provide protection to Ms.  Hirsch.  The big problem with data puddles
which are rapidly becoming major lakes if not inland seas, is that people
handling such information are not trained in or accustomed to protecting
sensitive material.  They are apt to be careless, but then so are banks
which have been known to throw away unwanted copies of sensitive paper in
the dumpster in the alley.

Neither is there any legal protection for it; hence, any enforcement
official can come along and subpoena it or even acquire it
surreptitiously.  PIs and attorneys likewise have easy pickings.

The social problem of protecting people against consequences of mis-
handling all such data collections has stymied me for years, especially in
a reactive democratic society and government.  An attractive possibility
would be to bring privacy infractions in under tort law but then one has
to show, and perhaps prove, harm or damages.  All one can do, at the
moment, is accept such things as a risk of living on this planet and try
to minimize the amount of information that gets revealed.

The present situation is worrisome enough, but try applying for a home
loan.  Most places want, in addition to all else, complete copies of last
two years' Federal and State tax returns complete with all enclosures.
There are known instances of there being a secondary market in "used and
filled-out 1040 forms".

                                           Willis Ware

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Date:    Fri, 17 Jul 92 23:01 PDT
From:    lauren@cv.vortex.com (Moderator--Lauren Weinstein)
Subject: Topic Suggestion: Personal Experiences

Greetings.  One manner in which I hope this digest will be of value is to
help relate the more "theoretical" and "academic" aspects of privacy to the
sorts of events that actually occur in people's lives.  To this end, I
invite those of you who feel comfortable doing so to relate any experiences
which you have undergone that relate to the overall topic area of privacy.

Perhaps you've had problems with inaccurate information in a database, been
the victim of credit fraud, or otherwise lived through events the telling of
which might be illuminating to the readership.  Of particular interest is
what steps you took to deal with the situation, or how you believe your
experiences relate to overall privacy topics.

Remember, it's the aspects of privacy in our technological age affecting
you, and of interest to you, that are an extremely important part of the
PRIVACY Forum.

--Lauren--

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End of PRIVACY Forum Digest 01.08
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