No Subject

[Anonymous]

L. Tood Masco:
> Perhaps one could generate a privacy crisis by collecting that information
>  and conducting a mass mailing to every person in the database: "we have
>  this information on you.  So could anybody with $125.  Call your congress
>  critter and complain."

This is a wonderful, wonderful idea.  The biggest blow to privacy
in this decade was when Lotus Markeplace was withdrawn off the market.
This ifnromation is already widely distributed.  The only effect
the withdrawal had was keeping the public in the dark about what 
infromation is out there in the world about them, and (by inference)
how it was obtained.

The sad fact is, most of the political action over 'privacy' only
has the net effect of keeping people in the dark about what information
they are giving out to complete strangers about themselves. 
Most people don't realize, at either gut level or
fully at the intellectual level, just how much personal information
they are giving away when they write down their Social Security
or other universal ID number on a form.   As long as the information
is only being swapped between skyscrapers, so that most peple aren't allowed
to access it, this ignorance will contininue.  People will realize
what they are doing when it's sitting in front of their faces on the 
computer screeen.

I also highly recommend using anonymous remailers to post allegedly
personal, but in fact widely available, information to the net
such as credit card numbers, credit histories, medical data, and the 
like -- as long as viable alternatives for the victims are
available.  Timing is critical here; let's be ready to do this
but not jump the gun until the alternatives are available.
Let's promote real privacy, technology that gives 
customers real knowledge and choices about what data they give out, 
rather than the current bankrupt political movement which promotes
information theft from ignorant consumers, and the hoarding and 
monopolisation of information, in the name of 'privacy'.