Previous Politech message: http://www.politechbot.com/p-04834.html --- From: "Jim Harper - Privacilla.org" <jim.harperat_private> To: <declanat_private> Cc: <hmurrayat_private>, <privacyat_private> Subject: RE: AccuCard Service: More privacy invasion (and viral marketing?) Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 12:19:37 -0400 Message-ID: <002001c33035$42cbd380$2ca8fea9@DJZ81G11> MIME-Version: 1.0 Declan: As we've seen, there are security risks when data is centralized, but the privacy problem here is not with AccuCard. It is with Hal Murray's friend, who entrusted information about him to AccuCard in violation of Hal's personal privacy policy. AccuCard's privacy statement is industry standard, and pretty good. Key part: "Corex Technologies will not sell, share, rent or license your personal information. Corex does not give out personally identifiable information collected from our users to others. The foregoing policy is subject to Corex Technologies' obligation to release information pursuant to judicial or other governmental subpoenas warrants or orders." [It also has industry standard weaknesses: "Corex Technologies reserves the right to amend this policy at any time. Any changes or amendments to the policy will be posted on our website." The policy should state clearly that changes will only apply to data collected after the policy change, and it should commit to substantial (by e-mail, perhaps) notice of policy changes.] I can see both the security concerns and the benefits these services (there are a number) hold out. I have several friends who use these services, and I have found that it neither bothers me, nor pleases me. I do not regard it as a privacy threat, much less invasion, for my friends and colleagues to enter basic contact information about me into an online address book. Whether these services catch on will depend in part on whether the privacy preferences of people like me or people like Hal predominate. There's no right or wrong in a subjective area like this. It will be interesting to watch cultural norms in this corner of the online world develop. Jim Harper Editor Privacilla.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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