-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- On Fri, 20 Sep 1996, Lynne L. Harrison wrote:
You can go to their web page (http://www.lexis-nexis.com), click "Just In" and request via email that your name be removed from their database by filling out the form. Problem, of course, is that one doesn't know if one's name and info is in the database unless one is a subscriber and can look it up. I, personally, do not feel comfortable in filling out a form with my personal info and sending it along - 1) for the obvious reasons; and 2) what if I'm not even in their nefarious database? If not, then I've just entered my personal info and sent it on its merry way to whomever and wherever unnecessarily - whether by email, fax, or snail mail.
There is an easy technical solution to this: store a one-way hash of each entry in a database field, so if one wants to be removed, all one has to do is send the one-way hash of their personal information. If there is a database entry that matches the hash, then it is up to the database maintainer to remove the entry. If there isn't a matching entry, then no personal information will have been given out. I wonder how many "privacy conscious" database maintainers will actually implement a scheme like this.
I tried just entering my name, email address, and state but, as anticipated, received a msg that ALL info has to be supplied, so I'll chk with someone I know that has an account to see if my name is there. However, the BIGGEST problem I foresee with this database (and others like it) is that someone eventually is going to hack it - and then watch the fun and games ensue.
TRW credit databases have been broken into many times, and they have more information then Lexis-Nexis (credit-card numbers minus the last four digits, addresses, telephone numbers, and of course, credit histories). Nothing really devestating has happened because of these incidents. Mark - -- PGP encrypted mail prefered. Key fingerprint = d61734f2800486ae6f79bfeb70f95348 http://www.voicenet.com/~markm/ -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3 Charset: noconv iQEVAwUBMkMMxSzIPc7jvyFpAQFoiggAusskPBsG0cvMXYcCmJaJR6Rlbcny+48C byAs3Bg4E2aMHusyll2+t7GPX897VtVGm1iBaAKZFkfFcyQcHoq+aw+hqJseG/As Yz3x6702e6y4qOfv+JpyCJk9c19ys4XSkHqsrJl3txFvakrBP4xfstWtDKk2P1EH 4aIDvEaStdabqhMQqayKqU09tLY6A++XZ5zbzK/ovVDQIgCW2cDsmtYTo8ZVktPq PqTnaHVY7B3oj+XEl7sfS1qKew4KEJiClmlztA7Lk7Kn6Zo6TnBPKOICFHjlnOyy +gitMH7yYuGVo95jcRzImyDMm6z2mjcHTVlmEnxK2k85PtR9El3ZuQ== =zaz8 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----