Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

A.C.L.U.'s Search for Data on Donors Stirs Privacy Fears
NY Times ^ | Dec 18, 2004 | STEPHANIE STROM

Posted on 12/17/2004 8:57:47 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection

The American Civil Liberties Union is using sophisticated technology to collect a wide variety of information about its members and donors in a fund-raising effort that has ignited a bitter debate over its leaders' commitment to privacy rights.

Some board members say the extensive data collection makes a mockery of the organization's frequent criticism of banks, corporations and government agencies for their practice of accumulating data on people for marketing and other purposes.

Daniel S. Lowman, vice president for analytical services at Grenzebach Glier & Associates, the data firm hired by the A.C.L.U., said the software the organization is using, Prospect Explorer, combs a broad range of publicly available data to compile a file with information like an individual's wealth, holdings in public corporations, other assets and philanthropic interests.

The issue has attracted the attention of the New York attorney general, who is looking into whether the group violated its promises to protect the privacy of its donors and members.

"It is part of the A.C.L.U.'s mandate, part of its mission, to protect consumer privacy," said Wendy Kaminer, a writer and A.C.L.U. board member. "It goes against A.C.L.U. values to engage in data-mining on people without informing them. It's not illegal, but it is a violation of our values. It is hypocrisy."

The organization has been shaken by infighting since May, when the board learned that Anthony D. Romero, its executive director, had registered the A.C.L.U. for a federal charity drive that required it to certify that it would not knowingly employ people whose names were on government terrorism watch lists.

A day after The New York Times disclosed its participation in late July, the organization withdrew from the charity drive and has since filed a lawsuit with other charities to contest the watch list requirement.

The group's new data collection practices were implemented without the board's approval or knowledge, and were in violation of the A.C.L.U.'s privacy policy at the time, said Michael Meyers, vice president of the organization and a frequent and strident internal critic. Mr. Meyers said he learned about the new research by accident Nov. 7 in a meeting of the committee that is organizing the group's Biennial Conference in July.

He objected to the practices, and the next day, the privacy policy on the group's Web site was changed. "They took out all the language that would show that they were violating their own policy," he said. "In doing so, they sanctified their procedure while still keeping it secret."

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer of New York appears to be asking the same questions. In a Dec. 3 letter, Mr. Spitzer's office informed the A.C.L.U. that it was conducting an inquiry into whether the group had violated its promises to protect the privacy of donors and members.

Emily Whitfield, a spokeswoman for the A.C.L.U., said the organization was confident that its efforts to protect donors' and members' privacy would withstand any scrutiny. "The A.C.L.U. certainly feels that data privacy is an extremely important issue, and we will of course work closely with the state attorney general's office to answer any and all questions they may have," she said.

Robert B. Remar, a member of the board and its smaller executive committee, said he did not think data collection practices had changed markedly. He recalled that the budget included more money to cultivate donors but said he did not know what specifically was being done.

Mr. Remar said he did not know until this week that the organization was using an outside company to collect data or that collection had expanded from major donors to those who contribute as little as $20. "Honestly, I don't know the details of how they do it because that's not something a board member would be involved in," he said.

The process is no different than using Google for research, he said, emphasizing that Grenzebach has a contractual obligation to keep information private.

The information dispute is just the latest to engulf Mr. Romero. When the organization pulled out of the federal charity drive, it rejected about $500,000 in expected donations. Mr. Romero said that when he signed the enrollment certification, he did not think the A.C.L.U. would have to run potential employees' names through the watch lists to meet requirements.

The board's executive committee subsequently learned that Mr. Romero had advised the Ford Foundation, his former employer, to follow the nation's main antiterrorism law, known as the Patriot Act, in composing language for its grant agreements, helping to ensure that none of its money inadvertently underwrites terrorism or other unacceptable activities. The A.C.L.U., which has vigorously contended that the act threatens civil liberties, had accepted $68,000 from Ford under the new terms by then.

The board voted in October to return the money and reject further grants from Ford and the Rockefeller Foundation, which uses similar language in its grant agreements.

In 2003, Mr. Romero waited several months to inform the board that he had signed an agreement with Mr. Spitzer to settle a complaint related to the security of the A.C.L.U.'s Web site. The settlement, signed in December 2002, required the agreement to be distributed to the board within 30 days, and Mr. Romero did not hand it out until June 2003.

He told board members that he had not carefully read the agreement and that he did not believe it required him to distribute it, according to a chronology compiled by Ms. Kaminer.

Many nonprofit organizations collect information about their donors to help their fund-raising, using technology to figure out giving patterns, net worth and other details that assist with more targeted pitches.

Because of its commitment to privacy rights, however, the A.C.L.U. has avoided the most modern techniques, according to minutes of its executive committee from three years ago. "What we did then wasn't very sophisticated because of our stance on privacy rights," said Ira Glasser, Mr. Romero's predecessor.

Mr. Glasser, who resigned in 2001, said the group had collected basic data on major donors and conducted a ZIP code analysis of its membership for an endowment campaign while he was there. He said it had done research on Lexis/Nexis and may have looked at S.E.C. filings.

Mr. Meyers said he learned on Nov. 7 that the A.C.L.U.'s data collection practices went far beyond previous efforts. "If I give the A.C.L.U. $20, I have not given them permission to investigate my partners, who I'm married to, what they do, what my real estate holdings are, what my wealth is, and who else I give my money to," he said.

On Nov. 8, the privacy statement on the A.C.L.U. Web site was replaced with an "Online Privacy Policy." Until that time, the group had pledged to gather personal information only with the permission of members and donors. It also said it would not sell or transfer information to a third party or use it for marketing.

Those explicit guarantees were eliminated from the Web site after Mr. Meyers raised his concerns about the new data-mining program at the Nov. 7 meeting.

After learning of Mr. Spitzer's inquiry, the executive committee of the board took up the data-mining issue on Dec. 14. Board members are allowed to listen in on any executive committee meeting, and Mr. Meyers asked the panel to participate in its conference call.

The first item on the agenda was whether he could be on the line. The executive committee voted 9 to 1 to bar him and had a staff member inform him that the meeting was of the board of the A.C.L.U. Foundation, not the group's executive committee, and thus he was excluded.

Mr. Remar, who has been a board member for 18 years, said board members had been asked to leave executive committee meetings during personnel discussions, but Mr. Meyers said it was a first.

Mr. Remar said the data collection efforts were a function of the foundation, and thus the executive committee had met as the foundation board.

But Mr. Romero convened a meeting of the executive committee, and Mr. Spitzer's letter was addressed to the A.C.L.U., with no mention of the foundation.

Mr. Meyers said his exclusion raises a profound issue for other board members. "Their rationale for excluding me implicitly means that they can't share anything with the board, but the board as a whole has fiduciary responsibilities," he said. "How can board members do their duty if information is withheld from them?"


TOPICS: Breaking News; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: aclu; donors; mediawingofthednc; napalminthemorning; partyofthehindparts; privacy; rathergate; rattricks; religionofpeace; wot
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-90 next last
To: Tumbleweed_Connection

By their fruits ye shall know them....


21 posted on 12/17/2004 9:51:01 PM PST by srm913
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Tumbleweed_Connection
[The American Civil Liberties Union is using sophisticated technology to collect a wide variety of information about its members and donors in a fund-raising effort that has ignited a bitter debate over its leaders' commitment to privacy rights.]

Lordy, they may "get it" after all!

What happens, in the end, with "free speech for me, and not for thee"?

And, what happens to the "useful idiots" after their usefulness has expired?

And, what about "all animals are equal. Except that some animals are more equal than others."?

And, after all, what about the 100 million who were slaughtered by the communists from 1900 to 1999? A few eggs?

Will these fools will ever learn? Or will natural selection take it's course?

22 posted on 12/17/2004 9:53:17 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Time to let slip the dogs...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mad_Tom_Rackham

Or will natural selection take it's course?


Funny thing about the left. Darwin never said that we evolved from apes or that there was no God. The liberals put those words in his mouth. He merely suggested that certain species have evolved along certain lines. Of course, why wouldn't God make his creatures adaptable?

They just don't get it.


23 posted on 12/17/2004 10:06:17 PM PST by superskunk (Quinn's Law: Liberalism always produces the exact opposite of it's stated intent.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: weshess

If political diversity measures ever come to your college, this prof deserves the ax first.


24 posted on 12/17/2004 10:06:39 PM PST by jwalburg (Those buried included children still clutching toys)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: weshess
One of my Law Professors said that she would give us an A for the course if we would send in our applications to become members of the All Communist Lawyers United

Give ue that Prof's full name and title and the university, please, so we can spread the word, name names and kick butt about this Marxist grade-extortion!
25 posted on 12/17/2004 10:07:18 PM PST by The Spirit Of Allegiance (REMEMBER THE ALGOREAMO--relentlessly hammer on the TRUTH, like the Dems demand recounts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: jwalburg

That prof deserves the ax regardless of political diversity.


26 posted on 12/17/2004 10:07:56 PM PST by superskunk (Quinn's Law: Liberalism always produces the exact opposite of it's stated intent.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: microgood
I wonder if the ACLU could figure out how to sue itself?

You may be on to something here. Isn't this how Dr. Spock solved the problem of a computer that was too smart for it's own good in the Star Trek episode, "The Ultimate Computer?" As I recall the crew was able to regain control of the Enterprise by putting the computer in an infinite loop. Possibly the ACLU could be set on the same course? Recommend this strategy be pursued aggressively.

27 posted on 12/17/2004 10:08:39 PM PST by Rockitz (After all these years, it's still rocket science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: superskunk

True.


28 posted on 12/17/2004 10:09:46 PM PST by jwalburg (Those buried included children still clutching toys)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: superskunk

Yes.


29 posted on 12/17/2004 10:10:01 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Time to let slip the dogs...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: weshess

There is a website where you can post complaints against activist profs. who abuse their positions, but I forget the name of it.

When you post, the prof. is alerted and given the opportunity to rebut the complaint. Very few bother. It could become a great research tool for students and parents.


30 posted on 12/17/2004 10:13:15 PM PST by superskunk (Quinn's Law: Liberalism always produces the exact opposite of it's stated intent.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Tumbleweed_Connection
A day after The New York Times disclosed its participation in late July, the organization withdrew from the charity drive and has since filed a lawsuit with other charities to contest the watch list requirement.

What does this mean?

31 posted on 12/17/2004 10:18:07 PM PST by Lancey Howard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All
I exchanged emails with a liberal columnist awhile back over the issue of conservatives being under represented in academia. He suggested a conservative quota. I told him, while his intentions my be good, quotas just create a 'victim class' and that we should just allow everyone to have and express their own opinion without fear of retribution.
32 posted on 12/17/2004 10:19:49 PM PST by superskunk (Quinn's Law: Liberalism always produces the exact opposite of it's stated intent.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Tumbleweed_Connection

If my understanding is correct, the ACLU could sue itself for this breach of donor privacy and then collect huge attorneys' fees from the taxpayers for instituting a lawsuit which improves the common good (or some such horse manure).


33 posted on 12/17/2004 10:22:12 PM PST by Lancey Howard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lancey Howard

It refers to the previous paragraph. Something about the ACLU originally agreeing not to hire anyone on the terrorist watch list to participate in a federal fund raising drive. Then in true ACLU fashion, withdrawing and suing over the requirement.

These people are unbelievable!


34 posted on 12/17/2004 10:25:25 PM PST by superskunk (Quinn's Law: Liberalism always produces the exact opposite of it's stated intent.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Lancey Howard
If they're suing themselves, then the proceeds should go to the GOP!!! NO! Better yet...divide it among Christian and Jewish organizations! That would devastate them!
35 posted on 12/17/2004 10:28:00 PM PST by superskunk (Quinn's Law: Liberalism always produces the exact opposite of it's stated intent.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

And to the Boy Scouts, too! Can't forget the Scouts!!!!!


36 posted on 12/17/2004 10:30:25 PM PST by superskunk (Quinn's Law: Liberalism always produces the exact opposite of it's stated intent.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: superskunk

Or make them give it to the Boy Scouts.


37 posted on 12/17/2004 10:32:33 PM PST by Lancey Howard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: snopercod; joanie-f
The purpose behind Hillary's getting and keeping the F.B.I. files in the White House; the passing of that information to a "database security service" run by an offshoot of the PFAW, et al.
38 posted on 12/17/2004 10:51:19 PM PST by First_Salute (May God save our democratic-republican government, from a government by judiciary.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Tumbleweed_Connection
"It is part of the A.C.L.U.'s mandate, part of its mission, to protect consumer privacy," said Wendy Kaminer,

Since when has consumer privacy been a part of the destruction of America and all it stands for?

39 posted on 12/17/2004 11:33:03 PM PST by EGPWS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Tumbleweed_Connection

Hypocrisy at its best.


40 posted on 12/18/2004 1:39:43 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-90 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson