Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!scratch From: scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Steven J Owens) Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Re: Information Control Message-ID: <106376@unix.cis.pitt.edu> Date: 22 Mar 91 18:02:16 GMT References: <17246@venera.isi.edu> Organization: University of Pittsburgh Lines: 26 In article guest@geech.ai.mit.edu (Guest Account) writes: >In article <17246@venera.isi.edu> woolf@isi.edu (Suzanne Woolf) writes: > > I'd like to see the default assumption change from "You can do > whatever you want with information about me" to "Information about me > belongs to me, and you can't propagate it outside our business > transaction without my consent". I'm more than happy to start with > "You have to tell me." > >I don't agree with the idea that "Information about me belongs to me". >I have information about you right now. I know that you like to read >comp.org.eff.talk. That could be valuable information to the >publisher of a magazine for activists. I don't have your permission >to have this information and since you are claiming to "own" all >information about you, I must be breaking the law. You're twisting his words a bit here. What he said was "you can't propagate it outside our business transaction without my consent." It might be better expressed as "I have a copyright on my personal information, and you can't distribute that information without my consent." Actually, this leads to some interesting thoughts. What if I trademark/copyright my name and personal information? Could I then sue any company which violated such restrictions by distributing information about me?? Hm... Steven J. Owens | Scratch@Pittvms | Scratch@unix.cis.pitt.edu