🚀 go-pugleaf

> I have looked myself up in P-TRAK.  It is not entirely accurate
> (which may explain why I have collection agents calling me, trying
> to track down my [xxxx]).  When it first came out, social security
> numbers were displayed as part of the results of a query.  This was
> stopped a few months ago.  Previous addresses, however, are also
> listed in P-TRAK.

Why would collection agencies be calling someone who doesn't owe money,
based on information contained in P-TRAK?  P-TRAK is akin to an electronic
white pages, all it displays is the name, address, former addresses, and
telephone numbers of individuals.  Some records also have DOB and the
person's maiden name.  This is little more information than is contained
on the popular "Phone Disc" CD's.

Information maintained by credit companies such as TRW, and particularly,
by the IRS, is much, much more intrusive than this.

I seriously doubt anyone is quitting Mead Data Central over this.

That's blatently obvious from the letter, which states "I'm quitting
Lexis/Nexis" -- nobody works for Lexis/Nexis, they work for Mead Data
Central or Reed-Elsevier (they bought the Mead Data division some months
back).  If the person doesn't know where they are working, I doubt they
are quitting ;)  It might pay to do a little more research before making
postings like this.  Might I recommend Lexis/Nexis?  Lexis/Nexis is
physically based in Dayton, Ohio by the way.

What's wrong with private companies maintaining databases on individuals,
anyway?  There are many small databases which contain personal
information.  These databases are accessible to professionals such as
private investigators, and/or anyone willing to pay the hefty access
charges.

-- 
Frank Seipel
fseipel@freenet.columbus.oh.us