BAN the corporate selling of personal information!

[More Than A Feeling]

In the Democratic Party, I think that there is a consensus that government and other outside parties have no business telling people how to live their lives if it doesn't hurt anybody else, because there should be a trust that people can make the best decisions for themselves. It is this kind of thinking that underlies our support for choice as well as gay rights.

However, there is another issue that we should take on, one that could be very rewarding, both for the american people and at the ballot box.

The Democratic Party should come out in favor of a ban on the corporate selling of personal information

This is something everyone can relate to. Noone likes the idea of faceless companies trading intimate details about their lives, or using them to target advertising. There is no confidence that companies have enough security to protect that information from criminal hands, therefore, it should be impossible to store up massive databases of information through buying it, centralized locations that are easily targeted.

I believe that around this issue we can bring liberals, libertarians, and true conservatives together in a coalition to put an end to this disgusting practice. The only people who won't like this are the corporate shills, ie the Republican party, who will have lost their majority on this issue.

Its a big idea that should be broadly popular. We haven't had too many of those. It's worth a try.

[More Than A Feeling]

1. Kick for a non-religious, non-Schiavo thread

:kick:

[Vladimir]

2. Who cares?

Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri Terri

:evilgrin:

[More Than A Feeling]

3. Maybe I should have called it

"Schiavo's Religion says Gun Control Causes Meat Eating."

Think that might have gotten some attention? :shrug:

[Vladimir]

4. Its unbelievable

by the way, I agree with you on the issue you wanted to discuss - especially on the internet, I sometimes really worry about how my shopping at websites gets used by search engines to offer me products elsewhere. But good luck trying to talk about it.

[China_cat]

5. Corporate selling of personal information?

I wish they'd do something about the state selling personal information.

SC sells driver's license information to anybody who wants it...ALL the information. Including your SS number.

[More Than A Feeling]

6. Do you think it would be politically possible to add that?

I am not so sure that government would voluntarily choose to hamper its own power like that. I would certainly add that in, if it wouldn't scuttle the entire deal.

[adwon]

10. With consent?

Under the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, personal information cannot be sold by the DMV or private parties who have obtained the information from the DMV without the consent of the person whose information is being sold.

This law was upheld by the Supreme Court just 5 years ago, too.

[China_cat]

13. SC is still doing it.

Last challenge was to the state supreme court about 18 months ago and the practice was upheld on the grounds that the state needed the money. And no, you don't have to give your consent.

[adwon]

14. Ok

Consent is not necessary if the sale or disclosure deals with pretty much anything related to cars and roads. Recalls, advisories, performance monitoring, toll roads, research, legal purposes, etc. are all acceptable uses.

Any other use requires consent. So if they give it to a contractor for a security clearance investigation, that's ok. If they give it to those bastards with all the 'buy a bigger penis' spam, that's illegal.

The good news?

Congress created a private cause of action to enforce this act.

The relevant sections are 2721-2725 of Title 18 of the US Code.

[tkmorris]

15. Yes BUT

Here in Florida for example when you acquire a license you need to sign a number of forms. Buried way down deep in one of them is the language granting consent to such requests. You CAN refuse to give it, but not many people working there go out of their way to bring it to your attention.

Most holders of Florida licenses have given the state permission to hand out their personal information to anyone who asks, but they aren't aware of that.

[applegrove]

7. Records of Albertans are the latest computer files to be stolen.

Have not quite figured out why all the stealing.

Perhaps Karl Rove just needs is computer files updated. (just kidding):grouphug:

[More Than A Feeling]

8. Exactly the point.

Reduce the flow of personal information via a ban, reduce the amount of information that can be stolen in one sitting. It's the kind of protection we need against 21st century technology.

[Shallah Kali]

9. Great idea. I have wished that someone in power would take action

I am sick of having to follow up with companies to ensure they don't resell my information. They should have to ask people to share their info not automatically be allowed to profit from my personal info.

[adwon]

11. Good idea

It can be done federally because personal information is regarded as items in the flow of interstate commerce. Plus, the Supreme Court upheld a law (Driver's Privacy Protection Act) a few years ago that forbade the distribution of personal information without consent of the person whose information was being sold or distributed.

[Eureka]

12. We have that here, in Aus

No one can on-sell your personal information unless they tell you in advance _specifically_ what they are going to do with it.

You folks should give it a try!

[Iterate]

16. You're in more trouble than you think

The CIA and homeland security agencies are not able to fill their own need for personal data collection and data mining, so they have turned to private companies to fill the gap. These are some of the same companies that couldn't keep your credit card number straight.

These private companies are not bound by the minimal controls that would apply to a government agency. Think of it as outsourcing your county jail to Guantanamo.

This is not your local DMV. They can, and do, know more about you than your mother does. At the same time you are being told that what you really need to worry about is identity theft.

http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/012505_personal_data.shtml

and many other sites.

And yes, I think it would be a terrific issue for the Democratic party. Not only should you own all personal information about yourself, you should be notified when anyone tries to access it, and you should also be told why.

[In Truth We Trust]

17. kick

[SheepyMcSheepster]

18. ahh, great idea, kick!

this sounds like a good and noble cause to take up, i am definetely in agreement.

[More Than A Feeling]

19. Thanks, guys!

Good to know that there is still an interest in coming up with new substance, not just style.