🚀 go-pugleaf

I'm forwarding this because it is a disturbing sign of organized junk
mail on the net. I found it particularly apropos since I recieved some
terrible coupoun clipping junk e-mail this morning. Send mail to the
listed address and please redistribute the information freely.

Message from Marc Rotenberg:
>From rotenberg@epic.org Mon Oct 16 09:45:48 MDT 1995
Article: 148 of comp.org.cpsr.announce

                         Published by the
           Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
                          Washington, DC
                          info@epic.org
                      http://www.epic.org/

    
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Table of Contents 
=======================================================================
  
 [2] Landmark Privacy Case, Avrahami v. USN&WR
 [3] Your Net Activities for Sale (and what you can do)
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[2] Landmark Privacy Case
=======================================================================

A Virginia resident has filed suit in state court against US News & 
World Report, challenging the right of the magazine to sell or rent his 
name to another publication without his express written consent. Ram 
Avrahami argues that USN&WR has benefited commercially from his name, 
thus violating the Virginia law which protects every person from having 
his/her name being used for commercial purpose without consent.

The suit raises a critical question for the future of privacy: who 
controls personal information? If Mr. Avrahami prevails, companies that 
sell personal information could be required to obtain permission before 
data is sold to others. Such an ownership right could establish a more 
equitable and efficient relationship between consumers and companies.

EPIC has put together an expert team to assist Mr. Avrahami, to prepare
an amicus brief for the court proceeding, and to pursue other aspects of
the case. This case may quickly become the leading consumer privacy
case in the country. A feature article appeared in the Wall Street
Journal on October 13.

What are Mr. Avrahami's prospects for success? Not clear, but a 1991
Time/CNN found that 93% of American adults believed that "companies
that sell information to others should be required by law to ask
permission from individuals before making the information available."
(Time Magazine, Nov. 11, 1991).

A web page with details about the case, the relevant law, information 
about the direct marketing industry, and books and articles about 
privacy and marketing data can be found at:

     http://www.epic.org/privacy/junk_mail/


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[3] Your Net Activities for Sale (and what you can do)
=======================================================================

The Marketry company of Bellvue, Washington is now selling email 
addresses of Internet users obtained from Newsgroup postings. From 
the company's press release:

   "These are email address of individuals who are actively using
   the Internet to obtain and transfer information.  They have
   demonstrated a substantial interest in specific area of information
   on the Internet.  They are regularly accessing information in their
   interest areas from newsgroups, Internet chats and websites. . . .
   The file is anticipated to grow at the rate of 250,000 E Mail 
   addresses per month, all with Interest selections."

What are the interest areas currently available?  "Adult, Computer, 
Sports, Science, Education, News, Investor, Games, Entertainment 
Religion, Pets."  The release notes that "additional interests areas 
will be added, please inquire." Activities of US and non-US Net users 
will be included in the Marketry product.

The Washington Post reported that the president of Markertry, Norm
Swent, would not disclose who the actual owner of the list is. "That
really is confidential information," Swent said, "and we are obviously
bound by confidentiality agreements with the list owner."

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

   (a) Sit back, let your newsgroup postings get swept up by the data 
   scavengers and watch the junk email pile high on your system, or

   (b) Send email to Marketry and tell them to STOP SELLING PERSONAL
   DATA GATHERED FROM THE NET.  Send email to: listpeople@marketry.com
   and tell your friends to send email.  And tell your friends' friends.

It's your name.  It's your mailbox. Think about it.