Fun_People Archive
17 Oct
Your Net Activities for Sale

Date: Tue, 17 Oct 95 16:05:40 -0700
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: Your Net Activities for Sale

From: Alix Herrmann <alix@physihp2.unil.ch>
 (fwds fwded to /dev/null.  Reproduced from the latest EPIC alert):

=======================================================================
[3] Your Net Activities for Sale (and what you can do)
=======================================================================

The Marketry company of Bellvue, Washington is now selling email
addresses of Internet users obtained from Newsgroup postings. From
the company's press release:

   "These are email address of individuals who are actively using
   the Internet to obtain and transfer information.  They have
   demonstrated a substantial interest in specific area of information
   on the Internet.  They are regularly accessing information in their
   interest areas from newsgroups, Internet chats and websites. . . .
   The file is anticipated to grow at the rate of 250,000 E Mail
   addresses per month, all with Interest selections."

What are the interest areas currently available?  "Adult, Computer,
Sports, Science, Education, News, Investor, Games, Entertainment
Religion, Pets."  The release notes that "additional interests areas
will be added, please inquire." Activities of US and non-US Net users
will be included in the Marketry product.

The Washington Post reported that the president of Markertry, Norm
Swent, would not disclose who the actual owner of the list is. "That
really is confidential information," Swent said, "and we are obviously
bound by confidentiality agreements with the list owner."

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

   (a) Sit back, let your newsgroup postings get swept up by the data
   scavengers and watch the junk email pile high on your system, or

   (b) Send email to Marketry and tell them to STOP SELLING PERSONAL
   DATA GATHERED FROM THE NET.  Send email to: listpeople@marketry.com
   and tell your friends to send email.  And tell your friends' friends.

It's your name.  It's your mailbox. Think about it.

© 1995 Peter Langston