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From: johne@hp-vcd.HP.COM (John Eaton)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: What is private information?
Message-ID: <6750001@hp-vcd.HP.COM>
Date: 10 Jan 91 17:47:40 GMT
References: <1990Dec25.062336.16836@looking.on.ca>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Vancouver, WA
Lines: 27

<<<
< I am sure that all three Credit Card companies have excellent figures on
< their market share at various types of stores.
----------
They know a lot more than you think. About a year ago police in Seattle
arrested a suspect in the Green River Serial Killings. An article about
the arrest listed dozens of actual credit card purchases the suspect
made that placed him in the vicinty of a known killing. Some of the
information was eight years old at the time but they were able to
get it.

Now that supermarkets have scanners that give you an itemized list
the next step is to let you pay with your ATM card. Safeway will be
able to create mailing lists that precisely target customers. "I want
a list of families who spend more than $100 a week and who also
purchase Pepsi products". or "I want a list of customers who purchase
at least a dozen condoms ever two weeks".

Computers have made it possible to collect and use a lot of information
that in the past was defacto private. Sure it was available but nobody
was going to spend the time or money to collect,sort,file or access it.
Now they can and this information can be used against you. Big Brother
is getting bigger every day.


John Eaton
!hpvcfs1!johne