jpp@software.net said:

I'm doing it now - software.net serves distinct ads to Mac, Windows, Text and Unix based browsers.

I checked. Its nice, with a nice selection of products. However, this misses the point I didn't make in the first place -- should a company or a group of individuals be allowed to have access to information about you? If so, where do you draw the line? How much is too much? Another thought also occurred to me. The thread that wouldn't die, something about tracking people with metal detectors, currency, metalic thread in currencies, etc... If you write a check at a TeleCheck merchant, (in most cases) we know it immediately. Now take Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, they know when you use their cards, location and all. Now, you want to be totally anonymous and live on cash only, right? If you cash a check at a TeleCheck merchant, guess what... What if through information brokering, or by government intervention it became profitable to sell this information on a real-time basis? What ramifications would this have? "I see here Mr. so-and-so that you bought some fertilizer. We also have reciepts for gasoline, oil, and beef jerkey. would you mind comming with us?... we seem to be below our quota this month for bombing suspects..." This really doesn't bother me all that much. Its the possibility of fraud and misuse that is possible. The more information I have about *YOU*, the easier it is for me to impersonate YOU. Or at least cancel all of your credit cards, and cause HaViC as the 3l33t3 D00dz say. Ok, how about a real life demonstration... Just this week, I called my bank to cancel an ATM card and order a VISA cash card. What did they need? Social security number, my name, address, account, and the maiden name of my mother. Often they want less, but this would be a good example. Find someone you know. And try to obtain the above information. Just for grins, try it. Just remember to be creative, and remember, the government is you _friend_. You may be suprised. Better yet, start applying for credit cards in this person's name. It does count against them.

On the name database side the PO runs somthing called National Change of Address which tracks who moved where and allows direct marketing companys to clean their lists. Almost everybody sells address change data (utilities, the PO, credit companys) - I'm getting tons of "welcome to the neighbourhood" mail since I moved.

I got the same thing, complete with gift certificates to be used at the neighbourhood grocery stores. I'm not complaining, although it is annoying to go the the mail box to find the current issue of MSJ or DDJ crumpled because the mail carier had to stuff advertisements into the overflowing mailbox. The funny thing is that when I lived with my parents I was named "Resident."

John Pettitt jpp@software.net "why not, and who said so?"