From: bj368@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Mike E. Romano)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Privacy Sci Fi Story
Date: 8 Nov 1992 12:49:31 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


   I just read that due to recent legislation re phone co 
 monopoly etc., all personal and business phone books are
 or will be available soon on CD ROM. (for the U.S. at least)

 Many in this newsgroup feel that access to personal info
 on almost anybody has potential and real dangers.  Very
 few postings have suggested specific solutions, and I have
 to admit that I am not an expert in related fields and
 I do believe the privacy issue is one of the great political
 and personal freedom issues today.

 so here goes....
 my own version of

               PRIVACY BILL OF RIGHTS


1.  Laws need to be passed to severely restrict giving out
    credit and personal data including from such gov agencies
    as the DMV, the post office, etc.
    Voting records should also not be given out.
    Penalties MUST BE SEVERE for violations of these laws
    by employees of agencies (recent Harpers article de-
    scribed how employees of various gov agencies have been
    selling personal info to private investigators, others)
    
2.  What is on record at a credit agency needs to be easily
    accessible to the individual for review, and easily and
    quickly corrected if necessary.

3.  Medical files wherever they are kept should not be 
    inaccessible to the individual named and should also
    be easily and quickly correctible.

4.  Credit agencies which give out false and damaging reports
    whether by accident or negligence, should be subject
    to SEVERE court judgements including large monetary
    damages granted individuals affected.

5.  No company, mail order business, or any other should
    ever give out or sell personal files without a very
    explicit request form first sent to the individual
    which the individual must ready fully and sign and
    mail back, granting permission.  Again, ANY violation
    of this would allow for sizable monetary damages.

6.  No company should ask for personal information in
    order to sell merchandize, such as Radio Shack.
    Purchasing of merchandize should never hinge on
    such personal data, especially a cash purchase.

7.  Encrypted Address System.
    A system can be set up so that even credit cards
    no longer have address or phone number but have
    a code number or sequence instead which resides
    in a very secure ==bank== of such encryptions,
    entrusted to a government agency.  No one may
    be allowed access to the codes who does not
    have legal authorization.  The codes will attain
    the same status as legal address and phone number,
    in all business and public use.

8.  Law enforcement agencies must out of necessity
    be ultimately entrusted with enforcing these
    privacy rules and should be allowed to levy
    severe monetary fines against erring credit
    agencies and other business entities (that
    should help provide =motivation= to the
    relevant agency, if such income is possible).

9.  There is no good reason for such agencies as
    county clerk with voter registration files,
    property files, etc. and DMV to give out
    personal information as easily as they do.
    A federal law is needed to provided uniform
    protection in these areas in all states.
    Similarly the post office also needs to be
    much more severely restricted in this area.


-- 
Capt. Kirk: let's head for that planet, third from the sun, it
            looks promising.... |-)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy