From: "Ed Carp (ecarp@netcom.com)" <ecarp@netcom.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 12:56:25 +0800
To: Bill Stewart <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: ADDRESS DATABASE?
Message-ID: <199512150028.SAA30583@khijol>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> Date:          Thu, 14 Dec 1995 13:06:50 -0800
> To:            cypherpunks@toad.com
> From:          Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com>
> Subject:       Re: ADDRESS DATABASE? 

> At 01:32 PM 12/14/95 -0600, you wrote:
> >sandfort@crl.com said:
> >> Something of privacy interest happened to me yesterday.  I phoned a 
> >> company to ask for a copy of their catalog.  The phone clerk asked 
> >> for my last name and zip code.  After receiving that info, the clerk 
> >> asked me, "Is this your full name and address?" and then gave them 
> >> both correctly.  I was taken aback.
> >
> > Taken aback?  Its only going to get worse in the future.  As Telcos, credit
> >card companies, etc., start looking for new ways to make money I think 
> >selling information about you will increase dramatically.
> 
> I'm in the process of moving and getting new phones, and Pac Bell asked me
> if it was ok to send my Social Security Number to my long-distance carrier.
> I told them "no, but you don't have my SSN anyway" "Oh, you're right, we don't;
> can we have it" "No" "OK.  Would you be willing to give us your driver's license
> number or another form of ID?  We've just started asking for this recently." 
> "Is it required?" "No, it's optional, but I have to ask" "No, thanks"

You know why they want that, don't you?  So if you don't pay your 
bill, they can ding your credit report.  PG&E will do the same thing 
to you, and they will both do it illegally, without notifying you 
first as they are required to do by law.  So, I'd advise you to check 
your credit report regularly for signs of abuse.