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From: new@ee.udel.edu (Darren New)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: What is private information?
Message-ID: <41372@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Date: 10 Jan 91 21:05:24 GMT
References: <1990Dec25.062336.16836@looking.on.ca> <6750001@hp-vcd.HP.COM>
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In article <6750001@hp-vcd.HP.COM> johne@hp-vcd.HP.COM (John Eaton) writes:
>Now that supermarkets have scanners that give you an itemized list
>the next step is to let you pay with your ATM card. 

This is already happening at the local stores here in Delaware.
I don't know what kind of lists they keep, tho.

>able to create mailing lists that precisely target customers. 

Actually, if it was just the sales companies that could get this
information, it would probably make for a *better* world.  I would no
longer get junk mail about IBM PCs (which I don't use and never owned)
or coupons for products which I don't buy.  I would consider this a
*good* thing.  Advertising costs would go down, allowing that money to
be put into better goals (research, lower prices, etc).  I would no
longer get phone calls from computers because it would now be possible
to call few enough people that you still hit most that would buy what
is being sold without having to hit so many that it isn't even worth
paying a human to make the phone calls.

Being a precisely targetted *customer* is not a problem for me.  It's
being a precisely targetted something else that makes me nervous.

	  -- Darren
-- 
--- Darren New --- Grad Student --- CIS --- Univ. of Delaware ---
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