From: jdwilson@gold.chem.hawaii.edu (Jim Wilson (VA))
Date: Sat, 13 Nov 93 03:43:49 PST
To: tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)
Subject: Re: Big Mother can't protect our privacy
In-Reply-To: <199311101900.LAA22288@mail.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <9311131141.AA24839@gold.chem.hawaii.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> 
> Alan Wexelblat writes:
> 
> > Hunh.  Doug, I'm sorry to oppose you on this, but I think that the sort of
> > bullshit pry-into-your-personal-life stuff that companies are resorting to
> > these days is *exactly* the sort of stuff that cypherpunks would want
> > stopped!
> > 
> > Have you ever had to take one of these tests?  Have you seen the questions
> > they ask?  I have been handed a test (in an all-too-recent interview) and
> > after looking at the test I told them flat-out I would not take the test and
> > if they hired people based on it then I wouldn't work at their company.
> > 
> > [The questions have to do with all kinds of shit like "Have you ever had a
> > homosexual experience?" and "Have you ever shoplifted anything?" and "How
> > do you feel about XXX?".  Totally unrelated to my job skills.]
> 
> Simple solution: If you don't want to take the MMPI test (*), don't
> work for that company. 
> 
> (* MMPI is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Index test, which
> sounds like the test described here. It has a couple of thousand of
> these questions. Without defending the analytical powers of this test,

Tim:  the MMPI has 600 questions, with approx 4x redundancy for indicators of
deception, and *can* be manipulated to read whatever indicators (or non-
indicators) you choose.  All you need to do is visit your local medical library
and do a little homework...

 -Jim