home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Original Shareware 1.1
/
The Original Shareware (WeMake CDs)(Volume 1.1)(CDs, Inc)(1993).iso
/
14
/
lotusmsg.zip
/
LOTUS.LTR
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-01-15
|
10KB
|
198 lines
(sample letter follows) The following relates to a plan to sell
CDROM data from a database which includes demographic information
concerning 120 million U.S. residents. It appears that Lotus has
expressed a willingness to delete from their database the names of
people who so request:
==================================================================
Date: 01-07-91 (21:19) Number: 421 Greater Boise BBS
To: ALL Refer#: NONE
From: ANNIE LAMB Read: YES
Subj: LOTUS ALERT Conf: (14) T-RadPol
------------------------------------------------------------------
Subj: Confirmation of Lotus' plan to sell data on individuals --
including income estimates and addresses
Folks,
I recently forwarded a message about a new Lotus product -- a
database on CDROM of 120M US residents with their estimated incomes
and buying profiles. Someone questioned whether Lotus is really
doing this, so I checked by calling Lotus and speaking to someone in
pre-sales service.
It really is true. Lotus is still gearing up to sell their
"Household Marketplace" product, and it really does give information
on individual people, not just regional statistical summaries. I
learned the following (and I asked for literature, so I'll soon know
even more):
1) Yes, it really *DOES* have names and addresses of individuals.
2) They have divided up the database by regions, and you specify
the region you are interested in when you buy the product.
That explains how they could have 120M people in their database
and still sell you just 1 CD (or a few) for your purchase price.
3) They also have a "Business Marketplace" CD with data on 7
million US businesses.
I forebore yelling at the sales-type who handled my call, merely
asking if there was a place to write with comments about the
service. Apparently the sales types haven't heard of the controversy
the product is raising, since she replied that several different
reports can be generated by the product, and some of them do have
space for comments.
GREAT! So not only do they have the audacity to print an estimate
of your income (which could be quite damaging if they get it wrong,
and is an intrusion into your privacy if they get it right), they
also have space on the disk for arbitrary comments about you -- and
they'll be selling this data in volume to mass marketing companies
across the country!
In interviews, Lotus has said that individuals will NOT be able to
correct their own entries, or even see what they are. I didn't try
to confirm this in my call to Lotus, but I did confirm that the
person who reported it -- Rich Salz of BBN -- has an excellent
reputation on the internet. Also, everything he said that I checked
with Lotus is absolutely accurate. Further, the Wall Street Journal
has reported on it -- saying that the database has ages, marital
status, and other such personal data as well.
So I believe it, and you should to, since it is going to affect
your life. Remember -- a database of 120 million US residents comes
to almost half the people in the country. Considering that the
database is probably biased toward those with higher incomes, the
chances are *really good* that anyone able to electronically read
this message is in the database.
What can you do about it? A couple of things. Lotus has said that
they'll omit from their database anyone who asks. Therefore, start
by writing to the address below. Tell them that you don't want to be
in the database, and tell them exactly what you think of their
database. I've appended a copy of my letter to Lotus for an example.
Second, pass this message along to anyone whom you think might
care. To me, this is not just a matter of privacy. Lotus is going to
sell information behind our backs -- we are not allowed to dispute
their data or even know what it is. Worse, Lotus is going to sell
rumors about our income. Still worse, they will do it on a scale
never before achieved. This should not be tolerated. Please help to
stop Lotus.
Thanks,
Larry Seiler
---
Via ProDoor 3.4 -=RastaTag=- Have you tried it?
PCRelay:THINK -> #476 RastaNet International
4.10 The Rasta Think Tank BBS 619-282-1211 HST
==================================================================
Date: 01-07-91 (21:20) Number: 422 Greater Boise BBS
To: ALL Refer#: NONE
From: ANNIE LAMB Read: YES
Subj: LOTUS 2 Conf: (14) T-RadPol
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's my letter. Also send copies of your letter to the president
and the CEO of Lotus, if you want to let those at the highest levels
know that you are displeased with their product. I've also appended
a net copy of the Wall Street Journal article about it.
xxx xxxxxx Street
Boylston, MA 01505
December 6, 1990
Lotus Development Corp.
Attn: Market Name Referral Service
55 Cambridge Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02142
Dear Marketeers,
I do not want my name included in your "Household Marketplace"
CDROM database, nor that of anyone in my family, at any address I
have ever lived at. To be specific, please make sure that the
following entries are **NOT** included in your database:
any last name (especially Seiler, Schmidt, Poffenberger, or
Zwerner) at 198 Linden Street, Boylston MA
any Seiler family name at 53 Oak Street, Waltham MA
any Seiler family name at 77 Reed Road, Hudson MA
As you have it set up, I think your "Household Marketplace" CDROM
database is an incredible intrusion and ought to be illegal. I am a
computer professional, so this opinion is not based on any native
dislike of computers or databases. The problems I have with your
proposed service involve the way in which you plan to administer it,
the way in which the data will almost certainly be used, the type of
data you are including, and my conviction that you will vigorously
seek to avoid responsibility for errors in your database.
First, administration. I have heard that you are not providing any
means to correct errors in your database. The potential for long
term damage to individuals from use of your database is therefore
enormous. Even if an individual knows that your database is false,
users of your database will almost certainly believe the CDROM data
in spite of any disclaimers or evidence offered by the individual.
Second, use of data. Given the fact that law enforcement agencies
are nearly powerless to shut down obviously illegal boiler-room
businesses, it is absurd for you to claim that you will only provide
the data to legitimate businesses. You won't be able to prevent your
product from being used to defraud individuals by huge numbers of
illegal operations. One way or another, essentially any business who
wants your database will be able to get it -- and it will be of
special value to illegal and borderline businesses.
Third, type of data. I understand that you plan to publish "income
estimates". There is no legal way for you to verify income, unless
an individual voluntarily provides that information. (I never do,
except when the data is legally required to be held in confidence.)
It is absolutely unacceptable for you to publish what amount to
rumors about people's income. The possibilities for abuse are
tremendous.
Fourth, responsibility. I understand that you will not permit
individuals to find out what information you are spreading about
them. The only likely reason for this is that you don't want anyone
to find out that your information about them is false. Therefore,
while you will sell this product on the basis of providing reliable
information, you aren't prepared to be responsible for the accuracy
of your information, or for the damage that false information (or
even true information) might cause.
So as you see, my concerns about your product are not primarily
about privacy, although privacy is involved. If you were prepared to
take responsibility for the accuracy of your information, then I
would be willing to accept your service. For example, you could send
copies of the data entries to *each* in your database, with a
request to write back if any of the data is incorrect or if they
want to be removed from your listing. If you did this, and *made*
the requested corrections, then I would feel that you were providing
a positive service, rather than making abusive use of unverified data.
In conclusion, if you market this product, it is my sincere hope
that you are sued by every person for whom your data is false, with
the eventual result that your company goes bankrupt. That would be a
pity, since you make many fine products. However, that is preferable
to permitting you to spread rumors and encourage abusive business
practices. It would be better if your chief officers went to jail,
but that will apparently require new laws to be passed. If you
persist in your plans to market this product, a lot of people will
be pushing to make that happen. I suggest that you abandon this
project while there is time to do so.
Yours most sincerely,
Larry Seiler
Source: Peacenet udc.media
---
Via ProDoor 3.4 -=RastaTag=- Have you tried it?
PCRelay:THINK -> #476 RastaNet International
4.10 The Rasta Think Tank BBS 619-282-1211 HST