Computer Privacy Digest Wed, 10 Nov 93 Volume 3 : Issue: 072
Today's Topics: Moderator: Dennis G. Rears
Re: Invasion of Privacy
Re: Finding someone
Re: Is there an effective way to stop junk phone calls?
Re: Is there an effective way to stop junk phone calls?
Re: Banning out of state drivers
Ownership and Privacy
Re: FTPs on Privacy Research ?
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From: leppik peter <leppik@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Re: Invasion of Privacy
Date: 9 Nov 1993 16:35:12 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
eng@ecf.toronto.edu (ENG BRIAN) writes:
>What actions can I take to put a stop to this invasion of privacy?
As far as I know, absolutely nothing.
Try getting another account somewhere else, and getting your Email there.
--
Peter Leppik-- p-leppi@uiuc.edu
If people have a hard time understanding General Relativity, what makes us
think computers will do any better?
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1993 19:17:56 -0500
From: Bob Goudreau <goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com>
Subject: Re: Finding someone
Brian Leibowitz <bml@netcom.com> writes:
>>Census data is supposed to be strictly
>>confidential, and not used for any other purpose. I believe the
>>Commerce Department is prohibited by law from releasing it even to
>>other govt. agencies.
>
> Not the LOCAL census data. Shortly after the state census I started
> getting lots of local junk mail...
> The city clerk told me that the state and city census information is
> public record and that many companies bought copies. (this was in
> Massachusetts)
As of a few years ago at least, Massachusetts was the only state that
conducted its own census (5 years after each federal one) in addition
to being covered by the federal census, so I don't think those of us
in the rest of the US have much to worry about on that score. BTW, I
thought that the state census was one of those useless state gov't
programs that Gov. Weld had specifically targeted for elimination; is
it still around?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation
goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive
+1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
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From: John R Levine <johnl@iecc.com>
Subject: Re: Is there an effective way to stop junk phone calls?
Organization: I.E.C.C.
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1993 22:49:00 GMT
>Anybody know anything that WORKS?
I have to admit that I don't get many junk phone calls, maybe one or two
per week. I don't know how much relationship this has to my continuing
anti-junk-mail project, which consists mostly of a rubber stamp that says
PLEASE REMOVE ME FROM YOUR MAILING LIST, and a willingness to use my own
stamps to mail back order forms with my stamp on it.
I have a variety of approaches:
1) Hang up immediately.
2) Find out who they represent (ask when they say "and how are you
today?") and tell them to tell their supervisor that you used to do
business with them, but won't any more. Then hang up.
3) Put them on hold. Then forget about them. If you're feeling creative,
tell them you have to get the dog off the couch or something before doing
so, so they'll call back and you can do it again.
4) (when I have plenty of time) Advise them that they've called my
Telephone Solicitor's Evaluation Service, in which for a low $5/minute I
will listen to and comment on their pitch as soon as they give me a credit
card number to charge it to. Refuse to talk until they provide a Master
Card or Visa number (I have a merchant account for my business, so if one
of them actually gave me a number, I could use it.) This bewilders them,
usually gets them off the phone pretty quickly, and more often than not
makes them conclude that whoever they called wasn't me, so they should
cross that number off their list.
Regards,
John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 93 15:23 PST
From: John Higdon <john@zygot.ati.com>
Organization: Green Hills and Cows
Subject: Re: Is there an effective way to stop junk phone calls?
From: "Daniel P. B. Smith" <dpbsmith@world.std.com> writes:
> Anybody know anything that WORKS?
Use a device that requires the caller to enter at least one DTMF digit
to pass the call on to you. A recorded announcement (which in itself
will cause sophisticated calling machines to hang up) can explain fully
what to do. Even the dumbest of humans can do that; the smartest of
calling machines cannot. My machine offers three choices (there is NO
default): leave a message; ring my phone, set off my pager. If there is
no input within a few seconds, an announcement says, "Please call back
when you are ready to make a selection. <click>"
There are disadvantages: cost, your line always answers (and bills the
caller), and the caller must have a TT phone. But from your posting I
gather that this is somehow a major problem for you and no solution is
going to come without drawbacks.
--
John Higdon | P.O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 | FAX:
john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | 10288 0 700 FOR-A-MOO | +1 408 264 4407
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 93 15:41 PST
From: John Higdon <john@zygot.ati.com>
Organization: Green Hills and Cows
Subject: Re: Banning out of state drivers
From: "Tansin A. Darcos & Company" <0005066432@mcimail.com> writes:
> The other question is what grounds do they have to request proof of
> insurance?
California legislators are too feckless to even require insurance of
state residents. While some states refuse to issue plates without
proof of insurance and thereby enforcing insurance requirements,
California's "insurance requirement" and financial responsibility laws
are completely without teeth and are unenforcable. Even the wimpy
requirement that one carry proof of insurance with him whenever driving
was ultimately struck down because it placed a burden on uninsured
deadbeats.
So if California cannot effectively require insurance of its own
citizens, what makes anyone think that visitors would need to be
insured?
--
John Higdon | P.O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 | FAX:
john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | 10288 0 700 FOR-A-MOO | +1 408 264 4407
------------------------------
From: Marjeta Cedilnik <marjeta@midget.towson.edu>
Subject: Ownership and Privacy
Date: 10 Nov 1993 15:56:49 GMT
Organization: Towson State University, Towson, MD
For a course in Computer Ethics, I am preparing a term paper with the topic
"Ownership and Privacy". I am especially interested in the rights of employees
in the relationship with the rights of their employers and owners of the
hardware, equipment, and developing tools they are using.
For example:
- Do the employers (or should they) have the right to read the electronic mail
of their employees?
- Do the employers (or should they) have the right to examine or use software
without the permission of the employee who developed it?
- If yes, do they have this right in any phase of the development of this
software?
- Do they have the rights to use tools the employee developed for his/her
own use in the development of the software (s)he is developing for
the company?
- If yes, do they have the rights to request instructions for those tools
and/or user-friendliness of those tools?
.. and any other things that are related to my topic.
I would appreciate letters describing your experience (positive, negative, or
neutral), as well as ideas about how the things should be, and any other
comments you might have. Also, I would appreciate any references to
articles or books that cover this (or similar) topic. I am interested in
responses from both sides, the employers and the employees, and also from
everybody else who has an opinion about this.
I won't mention any names in my paper (except on explicit request). Also, I'll
send a copy of the final paper to everybody who requests it. If there is a lot
of interest, I'll post it on this newsgroup.
I'm a little in a hurry, so I can use only the information that I get in the
next ten days. I will be grateful to everyone who will take time to respond.
Marjeta Cedilnik
p.s. Please, don't reply to the newsgroup; send mail to
sem03@toe.towson.edu
[Moderator's Note: Feel free to cc the newgroup, though. ._dennis ]
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marjeta Cedilnik Towson State University
EMAIL marjeta@midget.towson.edu sem03@toe.towson.edu
------------------------------
From: Dave Banisar <Banisar@washofc.cpsr.org>
Subject: Re: FTPs on Privacy Research ?
Date: 10 Nov 1993 17:48:59 GMT
Organization: CPSR, Washington Office
In article <comp-privacy3.71.2@pica.army.mil> Vaclav Matyas,
matyas@scs.carleton.ca writes:
>I have to do a project on current issues in research in Privacy - mostly
>related to Computer Science, but keeping social or legal point of view
>and I wonder if there are any good up-to-date sources on that.
>
>Any hint highly appreciated.
>
CPSR has an extensive online library of privacy materials available
via FTP/WAIS/Gopher to cpsr.org /cpsr.
We also publish a bi-weekly newsletter on privacy, info access and other
issues called the CPSR Alert. To subscribe to the Alert, send the
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"subscribe cpsr <your name>" (without quotes or brackets)
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Dave Banisar
CPSR Washington Office
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End of Computer Privacy Digest V3 #072
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