>From privacy@cv.vortex.com Sat Feb 20 02:02:40 1993 Return-Path: Received: from cv.vortex.com by first.org (4.1/NIST) id AA03185; Sat, 20 Feb 93 02:02:20 EST Posted-Date: Fri, 19 Feb 93 21:59 PST Received-Date: Sat, 20 Feb 93 02:02:20 EST Received: by cv.vortex.com (Smail3.1.26.7 #2) id m0nPnFN-0001Z7C; Fri, 19 Feb 93 21:59 PST Message-Id: Date: Fri, 19 Feb 93 21:59 PST From: privacy@cv.vortex.com (PRIVACY Forum) Subject: PRIVACY Forum Digest V02 #06 To: PRIVACY-Forum-List@cv.vortex.com Status: R PRIVACY Forum Digest Friday, 19 February 1993 Volume 02 : Issue 06 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 Numbers and Addresses (Brett Glass) *** 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. ALL submissions should be addressed to "privacy@cv.vortex.com" and must have RELEVANT "Subject:" lines. Submissions without appropriate and relevant "Subject:" lines may be ignored. Subscriptions are by an automatic "listserv" system; for subscription information, please send a message consisting of the word "help" (quotes not included) in the BODY of a message to: "privacy-request@cv.vortex.com". Mailing list problems should be reported to "list-maint@cv.vortex.com". All submissions included in this digest represent the views of the individual authors and all submissions will be considered to be distributable without limitations. The PRIVACY Forum archive, including all issues of the digest and all related materials, is available via anonymous FTP from site "cv.vortex.com", in the "/privacy" directory. Use the FTP login "ftp" or "anonymous", and enter your e-mail address as the password. The typical "README" and "INDEX" files are available to guide you through the files available for FTP access. PRIVACY Forum materials may also be obtained automatically via e-mail through the listserv system. Please follow the instructions above for getting the listserv "help" information, which includes details regarding the "index" and "get" listserv commands, which are used to access the PRIVACY Forum archive. For information regarding the availability of this digest via FAX, please send an inquiry to privacy-fax@cv.vortex.com, call (310) 455-9300, or FAX to (310) 455-2364. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 02, ISSUE 06 Quote for the day: "Be virtuous and you will be eccentric." -- A Curious Dream (1872) "Mental Photographs" Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) 1835-1910 ----------------------------------------------- *** *** Remember, if you don't submit material, there won't be material *** to read! It's interesting to see that, apparently, the readership *** is *so* satisfied with all privacy matters that there is little *** need for questions, comments, or discussions regarding such topics! *** -- MODERATOR ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 8 Feb 93 18:16:14 PST From: rogue@mica.berkeley.edu (Brett Glass) Subject: Numbers and Addresses (Subject field supplied by MODERATOR) Padgett Peterson writes: > ...reverse phone books provide additional information, but all > is based on the information provided by the telco. [Some text omitted] > Further, even where reverse directories are available, they are > based on the information provided electronically (for a fee) by > the telco. There are any number of ways to prevent dissemination > of this. > The two best known are touted as extra cost "features" by the Telco - > unpublished and unlisted numbers. There is a third means that may be > used at no cost however. Simply specify that only the name of the person > having that number be listed (e.g. direct that no address or only the > city be listed). There is nothing in the tarrifs that requires > street addresses to be listed in the phone book and several compelling > reasons why individual safety would dictate not - but few people ever take > asvantage of this. > The important thing to remember is that the subscriber does have some > control over *what* is listed, and this is what is reported to outside > parties. Mr. Peterson might be interested in knowing that getting an unlisted phone number, or excluding one's address from the telephone book, in no way impedes marketers armed with a phone number who wish to obtain your name and address. Several commercial "matching" services now exist which use data from magazine subscriber lists, business customer databases, and other pools of personal data -- many of which include phone numbers. Another source, thanks to lax disclosure laws, is credit bureaus. While credit bureaus are prevented by the Fair Credit Reporting Act from disclosing credit information except under certain circumstances, they're NOT prohibited from providing names and addresses when given phone numbers (or vice versa). Most matching firms claim a substantial hit rate on unlisted numbers and numbers for which addresses are not printed in the phone book. ------------------------------ End of PRIVACY Forum Digest 02.06