Originally Posted by Bart
Wow! Talk about a bunch of wet blankets!! Remind me never to post a joke in here, especially if it deals with ladies from Nantuckett.
If you would bother to look at the video once again, you'll note that it has very little to do with government and more to do with private enterprise. And here is the scary thing: it's happening already. How many of us have gone into Radio Shack just to buy a simple thing like an audio jack or even a small battery and then have to answer a bunch of questions just to pay for it!? They ask you your address, home phone, work phone and all sorts of other information "just to update their customer database."
Seems that the lot of you are concerned about government intrusion and are ignoring the unrestricted intrusions into our personal lives being perpetrated by private corporations and businesses. I'm not saying that one is worse than the other; however, I am pointing out that there are restrictions and limits placed by law on government activities while there's virtually none on private enterprises. Right now as we read and interact on this web site, dozens of pieces of information about our internet protocol addresses, internet history and any other information that can be gleaned from our networks and computers are being datamined in the form of adware, spyware and cookies not by government but by businesses, enterprises and individuals.
There should be no difference between protecting our privacy from government or non-government entities. It seems that folks in here get up in arms whenever speculating about the possibilities of government intrusion yet remain blissfully ignorant of the many adverse results of intrusions by enterprises that can range from simple annoyances of spam or junk mail to the real threat of identity theft. We should remain equally concerned.
Bart, I agree with most of what you say. Let me expound a bit though.
The bottom line with private companies is that you DON'T have to give them any identifying information to complete the sale. While they may ask, it's completely voluntary whether you want to give it to them or not. We often ask if it's for a mailing list or something and more often than not it is. We decline to give it to them. I've never had a problem completing the sale.
While I don't like the threat of identity threat, junk mail or spam, I at least know that I'm less likely to end up on some secret database or black list the government may or may not compile. And considering that some government agencies don't necessary comply with the Privacy Act of 1974, I'm much more concerned about the what 0the government would do with my information than a private company.
I don't mind giving out nonidentifying information such as a zip code. 50,000 other people live in the same zip code so it doesn't tell them anything about me other than the general area I live in. I draw the line at phone numbers and addresses if it isn't material to the transaction (ie needed for deliveries, services to be performed on my house, doctor's billing, etc).
Radio Shack knows that if you decline and they don't sell it to you, you can always go next door and buy it from someone that won't ask. Same thing with grocery stores ... I very rarely shop at places that require a card for discounts, but if I do go there, I've always given them a bogus address so I can get the card. Maybe they'll get my shopping habits (which are next to nonexistent at those stores), but they won't know who I am.
Super