Computer Privacy Digest Wed, 03 Aug 94 Volume 5 : Issue: 016
Today's Topics: Moderator: Leonard P. Levine
Bank Account Numbers
Unsolicited Advertisements in the Mailbox
Anonymous Posting: How to do it?
Help with eMail Privacy Cases
Re: Credit Card Opt Out?
Re: Questions about using "discussion list" membership lists
Re: SSN Required by Sprint in U.S.
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Housekeeping information is located at the end of this Digest.
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From: sherry@meaddata.com (Sherry White)
Date: 01 Aug 1994 20:02:26 GMT
Subject: Bank Account Numbers
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
I never felt that I should hide my bank account number because I felt
the only thing one could do with it was deposit money into my account.
Then I was told that when a company direct deposit your check into the
accout they have the previledge to deduct money as well. They say it's
incase a mistake is made and needs correction. Could someone e-mail me
and tell me what else can be done with my bank account number.
--
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Just live for the moment. Sherry White //
// Worry about tomorrow when it comes. Mead Data Central //
// Changing my Latitude //
// will chang my Attitude. //
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
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From: cristy@eplrx7.es.duPont.com (Cristy)
Date: 03 Aug 1994 14:16:40 GMT
Subject: Unsolicited Advertisements in the Mailbox
Organization: DuPont Central Research & Development
I frequently find unsolicited advertisements in my mailbox. These
advertisements are not delivered by the postman but by people that go
from box to box and pop them in. I understand this is against
postoffice regulations. Can anyone cite the regulation? What are my
options to try to get this stopped.
I consider this a privacy issue because people I do not know are going
in my mailbox. I have no way of knowing whether they are in fact
reading or taking any mail that may already be there...
--
cristy@dupont.com
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From: kkh2@cornell.edu (K Hindall)
Date: 03 Aug 1994 10:30:22 +0400
Subject: Anonymous Posting: How to do it?
Organization: Cornell University
I hope this is not off-topic or something that everyone on the planet
knows how to do. I am attempting to post anonymously to a group and am
having no success.
A document on the group says to send an e-mail request to
help@anon.penet.fi and that you will receive an automated response
which will explain how it works. I have sent 3 such messages in the
past 2 days and have not received any response. I've tried to see if
it is accessible via ftp or gopher and am having no luck there either.
Obviously it's rather pointless to post to that group and ask for help,
so I thought that this group might be the appropriate place to seek
assistance. If not, can you suggest a group that would be more
appropriate?
--
K Hindall kkh2@cornell.edu
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From: John Gray <grayj@mipps.myapc.com>
Date: 03 Aug 94 12:27:30 EDT
Subject: Help with eMail Privacy Cases
I am an IS manager looking to write a eMail privacy policy for my
company. I've gotten some good stuff from the Electronic Messaging
Association, but would like to review some recent or pending court
cases. Can anyone shed some light on current cases regarding privacy
issues relating to electronic documents and messages? Thanks in
advance for any information. If there is a FAQ containing any of this
info, please indicate where I might find it.
--
John Gray
Maine Yankee
Wiscasset, Maine
(207) 882 - 5160
grayj@mipps.myapc.com
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From: mike@camphq.fidonet.org (Mike Bray)
Date: 01 Aug 94 01:19:27 EDT
Subject: Re: Credit Card Opt Out?
Beth Givens recently said to us in the computer privacy group: The
proposed amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act would require
credit *reporting* companies to offer consumers an opt-out from
solicitations generated from their files, a requirement that
California passed into law last year.
One has always been able to opt-out in this manner. ...if they know
how to do it. Just ring up TRW at (800) 527-3933 and tell them what
you want. TRW will in turn pass your request to Equifax and also to
Trans Union.
California's new opt out law is aimed at credit *card* companies. A
similar law passed last year in California was aimed at credit
*reporting* companies. Both laws give *California* consumers some
measure of control over the use of their personal information for
"junk mail" solications based on the transactional information
generated from credit transactions.
One could always opt-out of this nonsense too, but again, only if they
knew to ask. Just ring up all your credit card companies and tell them
"no more junk mail and no more phone calls!" Some credit card
companies even have the ability to eliminate the inserts and the
special "tear-the-offer-off-the-back-before-mailing" types of
envelopes.
In general, we see the ability to control the use of one's
*transaction generated information* as being one of the key privacy
issues to be debated as the so-called information superhighway is
developed.
Agreed!
--
Mike Bray mike@camphq.fidonet.org (or) ...!apple!camphq!mike
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From: John Palkovic <palkovic@x4u2.desy.de>
Date: 01 Aug 1994 08:42:02 GMT
Subject: Re: Questions about using "discussion list" membership lists
It seems worth mentioning that if the computer serving the email list
is on the internet running sendmail, it is usually possible to query
the sendmail daemon remotely via telnet and have it print out all the
email addresses on the list.
--
palkovic@desy.de Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Relativity Engineering
"I ask each of you to be intolerant of creeping bureaucracy." - Bob Wilson
finger for PGP public key. MIME and PGP mail welcome
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From: dunn@nlm.nih.gov (Joe Dunn)
Date: 01 Aug 94 18:16:00 GMT
Subject: Re: SSN Required by Sprint in U.S.
Organization: NLM/NCBI
Blout@aol.com writes: I recently called Sprint here in the United
States to get one of their voice activated phone cards. I was
asked for my SSN number, to be used as my calling card number. I
asked the gentleman who was helping me if it was required; I
indicated that I did not like to give it out because I felt it
infringed on my privacy. He said that Sprint required my SSN in
order to issue a voice activated phone card; I could have a
regular card without giving my SSN.
Well, I worked on this project for Sprint and feel pretty confident
that there is no privacy issue involved in this one. From what I
remember though, there was provisions to give a number to someone who
did not have a SSN.
The SSN is used by the system for several reasons. To get adequate
voice sample to verify your voice while at the same time not reject you
because it doesn't recognize your voice. To facilitate this, the 800
number you call to gain access to the system is determined by your SSN.
In that way if it misidentifies a digit, it can decide, that number
should not be dialing this 800 number. You don't get billed for some-
elses calls because of misidentified numbers.
The number has to be easily remember by you. When you receive your
calling card from Sprint, it tells you to speak a digit plus your SSN.
In that way you can carry around your calling card and not worry about
losing it and being usable by someone who finds it. If Sprint were to
assign you a number, rather than your SSN, you would carry around that
card until you memorized the number or to remember the 800 number to
dial. Using your SSN protects you and Sprint from someone using your
card to make calls that they can't bill you for. The card does not have
your SSN printed on it.
By the way, I'm not advocating using Sprint. I don't work for Sprint,
nor do I use Sprint long distance. Just defending a legitimate use of a
SSN.
--
Joe
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End of Computer Privacy Digest V5 #016
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