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) *** Please include a RELEVANT "Subject:" line on all submissions! *** *** Submissions without them may be ignored! *** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The PRIVACY Forum is a moderated digest for the discussion and analysis of issues relating to the general topic of privacy (both personal and collective) in the "information age" of the 1990's and beyond. The moderator will choose submissions for inclusion based on their relevance and content. Submissions will not be routinely acknowledged. 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(1953) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 07 Jul 92 17:00:28 PDT From: "Willis H. Ware" 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 ------------------------------ 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-- ------------------------------ End of PRIVACY Forum Digest 01.08 ************************