Klarinet Archive - Posting 000500.txt from 1999/08

From: charette@-----.org
Subj: [kl] personal information on the 'Net
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1999 09:45:25 -0400

It was brought to my attention by one of the members of Klarinet that I may have
posted too much information on Roberto Sierra this morning. I agree - it was
public info from Cornell, but I'm not sure it _should_ be so easily available.
I'll try & remember when I cut & paste next time.

For those of you who don't know, all information in the US phone books is easily
available on-line. In the US states of Florida & Texas, driver's license and
spouse info is on the government sites. Some areas have the real estate data
on-line. There are sites with maps - with instructions on how to drive to your
house. Judgements against you are recorded electronically and some are available
on-line. "Megan's law" has made child offender's current addresses available
on-line from many police departments - and the data has not always been accurate!
Here in the Detroit area a couple started getting hate mail because they were
incorrectly listed as a child offender. They ended up moving ...

The EU has a formal electronic privacy statute - the US is not a signatory
to it and this has caused some waves in E-commerce. However, all is not perfect
in the EU, eitherC - but at least they have a plan.

Mark C.

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