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Data Mining: How Companies Now Know Everything About You
Time; Business and Tech ^ | Thursday, Mar. 10, 2011 | Joel Stein

Posted on 03/10/2011 4:01:59 PM PST by LucyT

Three hours after I gave my name and e-mail address to Michael Fertik, the CEO of Reputation.com, he called me back and read my Social Security number to me.

[snip]

In the past few months, I have been told many more-interesting facts about myself than my Social Security number.

I've gathered a bit of the vast amount of data that's being collected both online and off by companies in stealth — taken from the websites I look at, the stuff I buy, my Facebook photos, my warranty cards, my customer-reward cards, the songs I listen to online, surveys I was guilted into filling out and magazines I subscribe to.

Google's Ads Preferences believes I'm . . . . . . . ."

(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: hackers; noprivacy; snooping; ssnumber
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To: dljordan
"I’ve thought about joining Facebook but then my years in IT overrode my nostalgia and said NO!"

Same here! I guess when you work with the technology, you know what it's capable of. I have tied my 'real name' to NOTHING online. I've always remained 'unplugged' when it comes to social networking sites and all the rest. I can type my name into some of the various 'people finding' search engines, and there are NO results that lead to me. On the other hand, my wife is into the whole social networking thing, and I CAN be found though searching for HER, so I've been compromised anyway, on some level....

21 posted on 03/10/2011 5:15:39 PM PST by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: freedumb2003

I must be the only 20-something year-old I know who does not have a Facebook. Do people think I’m weird? Sure, they do. But every time a new Facebook privacy scandal hits the news I am so glad I am not them. Funny, the generation that claims to be so against “conformity” cannot seem to tolerate a little bit of independent thought. My friends even thought about setting up a Facebook account for me!


22 posted on 03/10/2011 5:32:38 PM PST by SoCal SoCon (Conservatism =/= Corporatism.)
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To: jeffc

Was this website a liberal website? If so, I’ve been there too and the people on that site can get really bi*chy.


23 posted on 03/10/2011 5:34:47 PM PST by SoCal SoCon (Conservatism =/= Corporatism.)
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To: SoCal SoCon
Was this website a liberal website? If so, I’ve been there too and the people on that site can get really bi*chy

No, it has to do with racing games (I think it is based in Europe).

24 posted on 03/10/2011 5:46:58 PM PST by jeffc (Prayer. It's freedom of speech.)
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To: douginthearmy

to which I replied.. “Go get your manager, right now.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Then what happened?


25 posted on 03/10/2011 6:21:00 PM PST by loungitude ( The truth hurts.)
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To: freedumb2003

Understood. My comment was mostly aimed at those who say “If you let your name get on the internet, then you are an idiot.”


26 posted on 03/10/2011 6:23:47 PM PST by loungitude ( The truth hurts.)
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To: MNDude

You know those little pop up surverys? I take them.....and not one bit of the information I provide is true. lol
I also give fake info for darn near everything I have to fill out online.


27 posted on 03/10/2011 7:04:11 PM PST by sheana
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To: freedumb2003
*shrug* sure you do. DON’T HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE!!

Um, no. The information about my addresses, present and past, and the places I donate money to did not come from FaceBook. FaceBook has my name and email address, nothing else. Since no information is posted on FaceBook and since I don't actually use it, there is no way all the info about me that is currently on the web came from FaceBook.

28 posted on 03/10/2011 7:17:44 PM PST by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: freedumb2003
I keep trying to convince data collection robots I am really a cute lesbian Asian chick but for some reason that hasn’t “stuck.”

Aw crap. I thought this was you. Now I'll have to keep looking.


29 posted on 03/10/2011 7:18:44 PM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (Tyrants flourish only when they achieve a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.)
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To: MNDude

That is a freaking excellent idea.
Of course, people can do that individually, on their own.


30 posted on 03/10/2011 7:22:13 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: loungitude

The manager promptly rang me up without swiping my card. I expressed my disgust at the whole system. I have not bought alcohol from them since but I assume they still have a magnetic swipe policy. I also assume that 99.9999999% of the lemmings gleefully hand over their identities. I didn’t try to get the kid fired or anything like that, he wasn’t rude. But anyone who thinks they don’t store your information is an absolute idiot.

I know they already have a lot of info with my credit card, but having the driver’s license info gives them the full monty.


31 posted on 03/10/2011 7:23:07 PM PST by douginthearmy (out of the army. now a soldier of misfortune.)
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To: LucyT

It is outright illegal for these companies to traffic in your social security number. Line them up against the wall and begin the trial phase now.

Oh wait, they bought our legislature 45 years ago when they first started getting blowback over marketing scams.


32 posted on 03/10/2011 7:47:56 PM PST by a fool in paradise (The biggest waste of brainpower is to want to change something that's not changeable. -Albert Brooks)
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To: jeffc

Weird. How do they know what your real name actually is? People have some pretty strange names.


33 posted on 03/11/2011 7:16:14 AM PST by svcw (You will never understand Grace until you understand you do not deserve it)
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To: freedumb2003

For years and years any suggestion of using computerized data for physician’s offices was met with a quick, vocal and winning protest about privacy issues. I have been amazed at the ease and lack of protest that has accompanied this current extortion( physicians will pay a penalty if medical records are not kept digitally). I am not a conspiracy freak or a black helicopter believer but be aware that the ultimate goal is to have real time oversight of your medical care and you can not do that without a central data bank. Data security on that massive level is and will be a joke.


34 posted on 03/14/2011 9:44:11 AM PDT by Cyman
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