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From: herrickd@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Citizens of the City of Mind
Message-ID: <4014.27f1e88a@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com>
Date: 28 Mar 91 17:58:50 GMT
References: <3622.27d4c133@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com> <1991Mar11.070712.4223@cs.ucla.edu> <3778.27dd2150@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com> <910@fnx.UUCP>
Lines: 38

In article <910@fnx.UUCP>, del@fnx.UUCP (Dag Erik Lindberg) writes:
> In article <3778.27dd2150@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com> you write:
>>In article <1991Mar11.070712.4223@cs.ucla.edu>, gast@lanai.cs.ucla.edu (David Gast) writes:
> }> 
> }> Anyway, when did I ever make Equifax my agent and ask them to sell info
> }> about me?
> }> 
> }You freely gave information that is valuable and Equifax is selling
> }it as the agent of the person you gave it to or as their own agent.
> 
> I give away lot's of information that is valuable to people for
> SPECIFIC PURPOSES.  For example, I give my medical history to my doctor

"freely gave" and "for SPECIFIC PURPOSES" are opposites of each other.

> and my insurance company, but if they were to sell it I would have
> legal recourse.  

Take a look at the language of the insurance information clause you
are asked to sign at a hospital.  It gives them permission to reveal
your medical data to an insurance company anytime (no expiration).

The permission to disclose information on a life insurance application
gives the insurance company that collects the info the right to enter
it into a perpetual data base operated by a fourth party and available
to other insurance companies for a membership or subscription fee.  There
is a fee so that this limited publication could be called "selling".  Have
you exercised the "legal recourse" you mention?

> I give my VISA number to certain vendors over the
> phone, but if they were to sell it there are serious civil and legal
> penalties in store for them.  Your argument doesn't hold water.
> 
Again, the information is not "freely given".  There is a contractually
limited purpose.

dan herrick
herrickd@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com