Montana State University |
Montana State University |
By Carol Flaherty
MSU News Service
10/20/99 - BOZEMAN –Sometimes it's work finding out what others know about us, and sometimes it just slaps us in the face.
My secretary bought two half-gallons of ice cream for her son's birthday party, using her grocery card to get a discount. The next morning, she tried to buy two more half-gallons.
As she recounted it later, the checker "scanned them, and said, 'You've already purchased these. You'll have to pay full price.'"
A limit probably had been advertised. The concern is not about stores limiting discounted purchases, but the database they -- and others -- keep on us.
I had asked the manager of that grocery store two days earlier how the company used an individual's purchasing record. He said that "the marketing people say" it's used to give us coupons for related products.
Obviously, information can be used in a variety of ways.
Many people want to know about us. Congress is debating legislation on how freely banks can distribute account information "within the corporation." That can be pretty broad when that corporation owns grocery stores, banks and insurance companies.
No one I know intends to misuse the information they have on me, but I don't know everyone who "knows" me.
I let the state use my social security number for years as my driver's license number. My university employee number (used for everything from buying a cookie to computer passwords) was my social security number until recently. A new ID card cost $10, but the real problem is that it will take me until I die to get my social security number out of all the databases. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, only the state department of motor vehicles, tax and welfare departments legally can demand a social security number.
Jack Colt of Headwaters Investigations in Bozeman says a person's social security number is a key to information. With it, in most states (except Montana which has strong privacy laws) he could get a history of everywhere I had lived in the past 20 years. What if a psychopath were trying to find me?
Of course, there's a file on the psychopath, too. The Supreme Court this session will determine whether police can sell arrest records. A Wall Street Journal article Oct. 13 said United Reporting Publishing Corp. is challenging a California law that bars companies from selling criminal and victim addresses. It sold those to attorneys, insurance companies, driving schools and others.
Colt said he can get whatever is on my driver's license, since that is a public record. I really wish I had corrected my weight when I renewed! Oh well. My insurance company already got that when I applied for life insurance. They also required my permission to retrieve every health record my physician or local lab ever recorded.
If I had been turned down for life, health or disability insurance, the reason probably would have been filed at the Medical Information Bureau in Massachusetts. Insurance companies give MIB information about conditions that reduce our lifespan. An MIB official says only 10-20 percent of those who inquire are in its database. MIB takes impressive precautions to protect its information. Only 600 life insurance companies access it. Any record system can have mistakes, however, so if you have been turned down for life insurance, you may want to pay $8 to see if MIB has a file on you (www.mib.com/ or P.O. Box 105, Essex Station, Boston, MA 02112).
The goal of the MIB is to reduce insurance costs by making sure I honestly report all health conditions. Similarly, the goal of credit reporting agencies is to reduce the interest rates we pay by only loaning to good credit risks.
Our credit histories are kept by Trans Union Credit Reporting System of Pennsylvania (www.tuc.com). According to TUC's web site, its reports may include: name, current and previous address, social security number, telephone number, date of birth, current and previous employer, history of paying bills with credit grantors such as stores, banks, finance and mortgage companies; public records affecting creditworthiness, such as tax liens, judgements, bankruptcies, etc.; lists of credit grantors and others who have received our credit report, and lists of companies that get your name and address to offer you credit.
Computer data can make long-distance interactions more relevant. When we buy a book from an Internet store, its advertisements flash related topics. The e-store knows our computer. So far, it cannot link the computer to an individual unless we supply personal information.
However, all that could change if the Internet Task Force, an international standards body, gets its way. That group proposed Internet Protocol Version 6 to correct problems. However, it also proposes a unique serial number for each personal computer in the world.
Any guesses about how much a corrupt government might pay for that information?
SIDEBAR: Privacy Guidelines
Can we protect our privacy? Well, we can do a better job than we have. Here are a few suggestions for you to consider if you decide to limit distribution of information about you.
Do not give your social security number unnecessarily.
Look at the bottom of forms you fill out to see if you can limit distribution of your name and address by simply checking a box.
Take the time to look at the privacy policy or consumer rights sections of contracts you make as part of purchases.
Let your elected officials know you want them to support laws protecting your privacy.
Decide whether you are willing to give personal information in return for a discount on products or for the convenience of buying on the Internet.
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Send questions or comments to Carol Flaherty, MSU Communications Services, Bozeman, MT 59717 or email Flaherty at carolf@montana.edu.
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