Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!looking!brad From: brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) Subject: Re: Lotus Marketplace Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd. Date: Thu, 22 Nov 90 08:19:55 GMT Message-ID: <1990Nov22.081955.4127@looking.on.ca> References: <1990Nov18.224340.3041@agate.berkeley.edu> <48514@cornell.UUCP> <4960@rsiatl.UUCP> <17478@shlump.nac.dec.com> Keywords: CD-Rom consumer database,privacy The problem of criminal use is a tough one. Perhaps I'll sound like the NRA here ("If guns are outlawed, only outlaws...") but we must realize that no matter what laws we put in place, groups like the mob are going to have these databases, and may indeed make money selling "good place to break in" information. So much of this information is going to flow over the public nets. You can't stop criminals from collecting it with laws. They ignore the laws. So will it do us good to stop legit people from collecting it? It will make it slightly harder for the small-time hoods, that's all. We might do the following, though. If one is to do direct marketing, one must: a) have the permission of the recipient, or b) send the direct marketing materials as properly headered E-mail only. If all direct marketing comes as e-mail and is marked as junk e-mail, we, the recpients can easily deal with it an minimal inconvenience to us. And a surprising number of people will permit direct marketing to them, although almost none will permit it by phone. I personally can survive the stuff that is sent politely and is well marked. The phone calls and door-to-door are what has to go as far as invasion of privacy is concerned. This has nothing to do with computers. I want to stop phone soliciting today, when most of them don't even know who they're calling. -- Brad Templeton, ClariNet Communications Corp. -- Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473