Nov 5th, 2009
Posted by Sandra Fulton, Washington Legislative Office at 11:16am	Consumer Privacy, Keep America Safe & Free

Privacy For Sale

Ron Peterson has a variety of exciting aliases. "In Florida I'm a female prostitute (named Ronnie); in Texas I'm currently incarcerated for manslaughter," Peterson, a California resident, said. "In New Mexico I'm a dealer of stolen goods. Oregon has me as a witness tamperer. And in Nevada — this is my favorite — I'm a registered sex offender." All of this is thanks to the unregulated data aggregation industry.

For decades data aggregators have been collecting information on Americans and selling it to the private sector and the government. This has become a multi-billion dollar industry with companies claiming to have tens of billions of records involving virtually every American. Since September 11, the government has become increasingly obsessed with collecting information on Americans and, to keep up with demand, these companies have developed even more ways to invade your privacy.

Data brokers are selling details on almost every aspect of our lives including DNA analysis, purchasing habits and credit history, pilot and gun licenses, eviction notices, and even lists of family and associates. In response to the growing number of cases of mistaken identity the president of backgroundchecks.com stated, “We're not in the business of authenticating the identity of individuals. All we do is report the data that's supplied to us from the courts.” Are you kidding?

Currently data aggregator companies function entirely unregulated and pose a serious threat to American citizens. They are not required to prove any of the information they are selling is accurate, there is zero transparency in what agencies they are selling it to and there is almost no way to hold them accountable for any misinformation they provide. Most often individuals have no idea they are even the subject of such an investigation.

The Privacy Act of 1974 banned the government from collecting information on citizens who are not already the subject of investigation. To get around this many agencies are just purchasing the information from data brokers. Americans know the importance of individuals having a reasonable measure of knowledge and control over how they present themselves to the world. The government has a responsibility to protect that right and is not doing so.

Today the Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a bill called the “Personal Data Privacy and Security Act” (S. 1490) that takes a first step toward regulating this dangerous industry. The bill does not tackle the major issue of whether the government has any right to be collecting this kind of information but it will put in place some desperately needed regulation.

The ACLU’s letter of support of the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act can be found here.

Permalink |	Consumer Privacy, Keep America Safe & Free

1. Anonymous Says:
   Nov 5th, 2009 at 1:10pm

   To get around the Privacy Act's ban on collecting data the feds just rely on others to collect it for them? Ridiculous.

2. Anonymous Says:
   Nov 5th, 2009 at 2:08pm

   thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. I will surely promote the ACLU view on this matter starting now. I can't believe Obama hasn't done anything about this yet, btw. This is way more important than socializing health care. keep up the good work!

3. Anonymous Says:
   Nov 5th, 2009 at 3:13pm

   The "Voices of Guantanamo" video has large portions of the audio removed. What is the deal?

4. Anonymous Says:
   Nov 6th, 2009 at 11:59am

   Really I don't get the point of this. I want my privacy.

5. Anonymous Says:
   Nov 6th, 2009 at 12:00pm

   why the h do we sell our privacy?????

6. dum Says:
   Nov 6th, 2009 at 12:02pm

   gum dum mum tum pum kum sum eum qum xum zum fum gum

7. Anonymous Says:
   Nov 6th, 2009 at 12:04pm

   aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddffffffffffffffffffff ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff fffffggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk klllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllll;

8. Paul Says:
   Nov 6th, 2009 at 12:05pm

   Hi I Paul Marien

9. Privacy Says:
   Nov 6th, 2009 at 12:08pm

   Privacy is not a product we have to keep it wow I am so mad

10. J Says:
    Nov 6th, 2009 at 12:09pm

    Hi I am jj and I play saxophone

11. Mia Says:
    Nov 6th, 2009 at 12:11pm

    We are not selling it. Other people are taking it and selling us to the government and advertising companies. IT NEEDS TO STOP!!!!

12. KT Says:
    Nov 6th, 2009 at 1:51pm

    well how idiotic

13. Kirk Says:
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 9:42pm

    We ARE selling our privacy and freedom. The selling price is proffered security.
    I seem to have read someplace that Ben Franklin once said words to the effect, "Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither." Not ceratin of the quote, but the concept has stayed with me.

14. imagine how much fun it is to be NOT American Says:
    Nov 17th, 2009 at 11:20am

    & yet be treated like a criminal because the US declares it to be a 'new standard'.

    & have your privacy violated, simply because you use international electronic communications...

    or dare to travel between countries

    or through US airspace.

    America abuses the World's privacy rights, but Americans only seem to care about the violations upon Americans... when they think about these violations at all...

    Just a thought, but do you think private jet passengers are treated as badly as the rest of us who dare to travel?

    I respect my neighbours & strangers, why can't Americans respect the rest of the World?

    Spread Love,

    BlueBerry Pick'n
    TheJeffFariasShow.com

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