🚀 go-pugleaf

On 20 Sep 1996 22:36:20 GMT, fseipel@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Frank
Seipel) wrote:

>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.

There's nothing wrong with it unless the company doesn't keep track of
or somehow allow me to find out who has ordered that information on
me. I also don't find anything wrong with it if everyone in the
database is legally an "adult." 

Not that Lexis-Nexis has participated in this practice, but there is a
company called Metromail (subsidiary of R.R. Donnelly and Sons) that
was selling the names, ages and addresses of children to anyone over a
900 number for the cost of $3/minute, hardly a hefty charge. However,
this practice was  exposed by the media and they've stopped utilizing
the 900 number approach (see Jeff Woodford! sometimes you don't need
the government to interfere! Here is a good example of volition over
coersion for you).

Also there is a case where Metromail supposedly used jailed felons to
keypunch the information on consumers into their database. One
"gentleman" employed for such practice is alleged to have used the
information he obtained to write a threatening and obscene letter to a
woman in another state. They (Metromail) also allegedly sold
information on 5,000 children to a reporter for KCBS-TV/L.A. for $277
(again, hardly a "hefty" fee). The reporter used the name "Richard
Allen Davis," the name of the convicted and condemned killer of Polly
Klaas.

Now I don't know about you, but I have a problem with a company using
a jailed rapist or child molester to input information about my
family, especially if the information includes names and ages of my
children. I also have a  problem with a company that doesn't verify in
some way who their selling the info to. Fortunately, exposure and
individual or class-action lawsuits can stop a company from such
reckless practices without the aid of ADDITIONAL legislation.

For more information see (includes phone numbers):
http://www.klaaskids.inter.net/pg-rel17.htm
http://www.klaaskids.inter.net/pg-rel18.htm
http://www.klaaskids.inter.net/pg-back.htm

Stacy Simmons
sas@freespeech.com
>-- 

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