Privacy

[k.camplate]

Trying to bring a topic back to the center of the Brin realm. (Quick aside: do other countries have junk mail or phone solicitors? What laws do you have with privacy?)   Yet again I was awakened today by someone calling me trying to sell something. I have learned the best weapon for this was to tell the person "I want to be put on your 'Don't call' list and also on the don't call list of any other companies you are associated with" But after I hung up I laid there and thought about it. In my little city there are at least six phone calling/companies. Multiply that by a few hundred cities and it will still be a long time before they stop calling.   The junk mail situation is worse. It only costs them 13 cents or less to bulk mail. A friend who works for the US mail said that the junk mailers only have to get sale levels of 4% to make money on junk mailing. I'm not a tree hugger but it's a lot of wasted paper, computing power, electricity, and so on.   This is my point: I don't have an unlisted number and I've been pretty free about giving out my address and phone number when asked, even at Radio Shack, why they need it I don't know. My checks have my address and phone number on them. Why? That's what I've started to wonder about.   From now on I'm not filling anything out, not giving my address or phone number. I'm going to see what it would take to get my address and phone number taken off of checks.   Now if the whole country took this step I can understand that check cheats would rise but right now I'm being penalized for what the bad apples do. I figure computer wise they can find me, an honest citizen, from my SSN and driver's license number.   In fact last month my brother, who's never been accused of being easy going, had filed out and was approved for check cashing privileges at a grocery market. Yesterday we were getting some food and he gives them his check and the plastic privilege card. The lady starts asking for a local phone number, his driver license number, his SSN. After the third question he said, quite loudly in the crowded store "Why the fuck do I have to give you all this info when I have a check cashing card?" He then walked out leaving all his stuff lying there. All I could do is shrug and walk out with him.   Anyone have thoughts?   Kevin Tarr Trump high, lead low