🚀 go-pugleaf

I don't know if this has popped up here yet.  The gnu/lpf crowd might
find this interesting...

-wolfgang

  Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
  Subject: Disturbing Actions by Lotus
  X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
  X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
  X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 908, Message 1 of 4

  Lotus Development Corporation has a new product due out in 1991,
  called "Household Marketplace."  It's a database on CDROM.  It has the
  estimated income and a profile of the buying habits of 120 million US
  residents.  That's a high percentage of the US population -- the odds
  are pretty good that YOU are in the Lotus database.

  A Lotus spokesman has said that the company is concerned about privacy
  issues, so to help prevent misuse of the data only legitimate
  businesses can get the disk.  With easy access to a laser printer, a
  POBox, and/or a fax machine, however, it is hard to see how Lotus can
  determine the legitimacy of anyone, however, and I'm sure that with
  minor effort almost anyone will be able to purchase Marketplace.  The
  cost, by the way, is under $1000 with quarterly updates available.

  The database does not contain any of the data covered by the Fair
  Credit Practices Act so Lotus is under no legal obligation to let you
  see what they are saying about you.  In fact, during interviews they
  have said that there is NO WAY for an individual to review their
  personal data, nor are there any provisions to make corrections on
  what is recorded.

  Lotus will remove anyone from their database who writes to them.
  Send a letter to:

      Lotus Development Corp.
      Attn:  Market Name Referral Service
      55 Cambridge Parkway
      Cambridge, MA 02142

	       -----  additional comments by Larry Seiler -----     

  Folks,

  I recently forwarded a message about a new Lotus product -- a database
  on CDROM of 120 million US residents with their estimated incomes and
  buying profiles.  Someone questioned whether Lotus is really doing
  this, so I checked by calling Lotus and speaking to someone in
  pre-sales service.

  It really is true.  Lotus is still gearing up to sell their "Household
  Marketplace" product, and it really does give information on
  individual people, not just regional statistical summaries.  I learned
  the following (and I asked for literature, so I'll soon know even
  more):

  1) Yes, it really *DOES* have names and addresses of individuals.

  2) They have divided up the database by regions, and you specify the
  region you are interested in when you buy the product.  That explains
  how they could have 120 million people in their database and still
  sell you just 1 CD (or a few) for your purchase price.

  3) They also have a "Business Marketplace" CD with data on seven
  million US businesses.

  I forebore yelling at the sales-type who handled my call, merely
  asking if there was a place to write with comments about the service.
  Apparently the sales types haven't heard of the controversy the
  product is raising, since she replied that several different reports
  can be generated by the product, and some of them do have space for
  comments.

  GREAT!  So not only do they have the audacity to print an estimate of
  your income (which could be quite damaging if they get it wrong, and
  is an intrusion into your privacy if they get it right), they also
  have space on the disk for arbitrary comments about you -- and they'll
  be selling this data in volume to mass marketing companies across the
  country!

  In interviews, Lotus has said that individuals will NOT be able to
  correct their own entries, or even see what they are.  I didn't try to
  confirm this in my call to Lotus, but I did confirm that the person
  who reported it -- Rich Salz of BBN -- has an excellent reputation on
  the internet.  Also, everything he said that I checked with Lotus is
  absolutely accurate.  Further, the {Wall Street Journal} has reported
  on it -- saying that the database has ages, marital status, and other
  such personal data as well.

  So I believe it, and you should to, since it is going to affect your
  life.  Remember -- a database of 120 million US residents comes to
  almost half the people in the country.  Considering that the database
  is probably biased toward those with higher incomes, the chances are
  *really good* that anyone able to electronically read this message is
  in the database.

  What can you do about it?  A couple of things.  Lotus has said that
  they'll omit from their database anyone who asks.  Therefore, start by
  writing to the address below.  Tell them that you don't want to be in
  the database, and tell them exactly what you think of their database.

  Second, pass this message along to anyone whom you think might care.
  To me, this is not just a matter of privacy.  Lotus is going to sell
  information behind our backs -- we are not allowed to dispute their
  data or even know what it is.  Worse, Lotus is going to sell rumors
  about our income.  Still worse, they will do it on a scale never
  before achieved.  This should not be tolerated.  Please help to stop
  Lotus.

  Thanks,

  Larry Seiler

  [Moderator's Note: The {Wall Street Journal}, November 13, 1990
  discussed this in detail in a story on page B-1 entitled "Lotus - New
  Program Spurs Fears Privacy Could be Undermined".  WSJ has in the past
  complained about TELECOM Digest reprinting their stuff, so it is
  omitted here.  See my reply in this issue, 'Much Ado About Nothing". I
  hope telecom-priv will pick up this discussion at this point and
  allow it to continue there.   PAT]


-- 
Wolfgang Rupprecht    wolfgang@wsrcc.com (or) uunet!wsrcc!wolfgang
Snail Mail Address:   Box 6524, Alexandria, VA 22306-0524