HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: olga@csiatl.Gwinnett.COM (olga from the volga)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: How To Get Information About A Person
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 92 09:00:57 EST

niebuhr@bnlux1.bnl.gov (david niebuhr) writes:

> Today's {Newsday} had a human interest feature about a private investigator
> conducting a class in how easy it is to obtain information about any person
> that is desired.
> 
> Before one of the classes, he did a little digging and found various items
> about the students in the class.  He mentioned that one had a daughter 
> living in Staten Island, New York; another never had a driver's
> liscense; a third had taken an accident prevention course on a certain
> date.
> 
> He said that most information can be easily found in a state's Department
> of Motor Vehicles; the US Post Office; the major credit bureaus and
> banks among other places.
> 
> Add to that the voter registration records; reverse telephone
> directories and other readily available sources.  Freedom of
> Information Act requests will re will reveal the contents of 911 tapes
> and copies of liquor liscenses plus other documents. 
> 
> He even said that he could obtain information via a cellular phone and
> a laptop computer if he wanted to do so at any time.  
> 
> Public records such as those for home purchases will revea more
> information about a person.
> 
> How to obtain some financial information is given.  If you can't find a
> persons bank account, have someone that you know but he doesn't send that
> person a check ($5.00 or so).  The prey is sure to deposit it -- and when
> the check comes back it will have the bank name and account number on the
> back.
> 
> Credit records:  For $25 you can have the report for anyone legally or
> illegally.
> 
> Looking for someone who moved?  The post office has a listing of all
> change-of-address forms and information can be obtained through the mail at
> the person's last known address; No address but a post office box? Pay
> $3.00 and supply a written request and the post office delivers the
> information even though they are not supposed to do so.
> 
> The author did some homework after the class and discovered the 
> instructor's age; where he lives and when he purchased his home; his and
> his wife's choices of political party; his height and that he owns all
> of the family cars right now; he also has to wear glasses when he drives.
> 
> There are a few other areas mentioned but just the mention of these few
> ways to gather that information should all make us wonder who knows what
> about us, legally or not?
> 
> Dave
> 
> Dave Niebuhr      Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
> Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093
> 
> -- 
> 
> Dave Niebuhr      Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
> Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093
> 



Who is the instructor, because I have a stumper for him!!!

olga@csiatl.gwinnett
YOW!
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Looking for counterfeit U.S. bill detector
From: jherndo@eis.calstate.edu (John Herndon)
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 19:22:52 GMT
Organization: Calif State Univ/Electronic Information Services

I have personally used a small PEN that you can use to detect conterfeit
money.  I have heard it is very inexpensive and extremely effective.  And
from my experiences it does work.  For more info on the product drop me
some mail at: Jherndo@eis.calstate.edu   and I will try and figure out
where we got ours.


Newsgroups: alt.privacy,comp.org.eff.talk,misc.consumers
From: jmalloy@itsmail1.hamilton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy)
Subject: Re: Clinton Endorses Right to Information Privacy
Organization: Hamilton College - Clinton, NY
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 01:33:33 GMT

In article <1992Nov4.174255.9029@dcatlas.dot.gov> joet@dcatlas.dot.gov (Joe Trott) writes:
>
>
>Capitalism - the only morally acceptable system.  If you want something, you
>earn it, by providing a product or service of value to a willing consumer
>population.
>
IMHO, this is claim to superior (indeed, sole) morality is poppycock.
We'll never know, though, since there ain't no such thing as pure
capitalism, thank goodness!

Joe
jmalloy@hamilton.edu


From: Tim.Hadley@f99.n121.z1.FidoNet.Org (Tim Hadley)
Sender: FredGate@p0.f99.n121.z1.FidoNet.Org
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: registering "assault
Date: 08 Nov 92  15:04:00 EST

* jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond) writes on 10-29-92  17:01:

 >[Note for those of you unable to see through sarcasm, I do not think
 >that cryptography and guns have any similarity at all. 

 JDA> You are blind.  Both firearms and personal crypto are means of
 JDA> thwarting government opression and empowering the individual.

Which happens to be exactly why the rights to such things are in the
Constitution of the United States.  "... the right of the people to keep and
bear Arms, shall not be infringed," is included in the second amendment to the
constitution so that the type of oppression the authors had been under would not
threaten us.  We're only independent from England because of some brave citizens
who banded together and did what they had to.  When you put people in power,
they will take as much of it as they can.  So should something go horribly
wrong, we've got our checks and balances: the right to bear arms and the right
to vote.  Should one be infringed upon, the other can be used to rectify the
situation.

tim.hadley@p0.f99.n121.z1.fidonet.org
thadley@ruth.uucp


___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.10

 * Origin: NineJackNine (1:121/99)
From: rgt@beta.lanl.gov (Richard Thomsen)
Subject: US Government regulations
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 18:44:57 GMT

pat@rwing.UUCP (Pat Myrto) writes:

>Second, gov't
>personnel virtually never walk their talk -- meaning live by the same
>limitations that they so willingly impose on the rest of us.  They always
>provide that exemption for themselves...

This is correct!  Just look at Congress exempting itself from many laws,
including those against discrimination!

Something occured to me.  I heard about a journalist who got private
information on the Vice President and published it.  What if someone
got private information on each congresscritter (my secretary prefers
"CongressFreddies" from the movies.  She thinks critters sounds too
cute and innocent) and sent it to each one?  Maybe then they would have
an incentive to stop these invasions of privacy.  Of course, they would
probably just make some new laws that apply only to themselves.

						Richard Thomsen
						rgt@lanl.gov
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
From: phurley@tamu.edu (Philip W. Hurley)
Subject: Random phone number harassment
Organization: Computer Technology Group, TAEX
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 15:27:24 GMT

I just had something annoying happen which I suspect cannot be controlled or 
avoided. Maybe someone out there has some thoughts.

I have two phone lines--one for voice and one for my computer. As I was 
sitting at my computer one night, the phone connected to it rang and I found 
myself accosted by a local salesperson. Now, this phone line was added well 
after my first line and the phone company graciously allowed me the option 
of leaving the second phone line unlisted. This is handy since I have no 
reason for anyone to call me on that line and I don't give out the number 
nor have I written it down on any forms.

I was therefore very curious to find out where the salesman got the number 
and found out that they were sequencially calling all numbers in town. They 
offered to remove the number from their list for which I was grateful. Only 
later did I realize that they *still* have my unlisted number. It's the one 
between 123-4566 and 123-4568 which is left off the list BECAUSE ITS 
UNLISTED. I supposed caller ID is supposed to help one avoid this problem?

Any thoughts?

Philip Hurley               "It is absurd to say that you are
T.A.E.X.                    especially advancing freedom when you only
Computer Technology         use free thought to destroy free will."
(409) 845-9689                              -- Chesterton
p-hurley1@tamu.edu             I, too, disclaim.
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,sci.electronics
From: mdm@mondy.uucp (Michael Mondy)
Subject: Re: Big Brother Radio Shack
Organization: Mondy and Associates
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 06:56:06 GMT

In article <BwwJGp.9LL@news.cso.uiuc.edu> tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan) writes:
>
>In article <wevoW=C00XQDAgrOxR@andrew.cmu.edu> aw2t+@andrew.cmu.edu (Alex R.N. Wetmore) writes:
>>Excerpts from netnews.sci.electronics: 28-Oct-92 Re: Big Brother Radio
>>Shack by Frank H. H. - Borger@rov 
>>>         Mailing lists are bears to maintain properly. (I should know. On
>>>         various lists I am listed as a phychiatrist, a father, a friar
>>>         and a medical center.) If giving them the last 4 digits of my
>>>         number means no matter what RS store I go into I won't be added
>>>         to the mailing list n times, I don't mind.
>>

>>It would be great if it worked that way, but it doesn't.  Each RS keeps
>>their own database (so your name isn't passed around).  At least this is
>>the case for pittsburgh and philadelphia.  It would be a lot nicer if
>>they used a distrubuted file system that updated nightly or weekly or
>>something, but I guess they never got that far.
>

>And they never will. RS has, what, 8,000 stores? 8,000 stores have a LOT
>of customers (many millions, certainly). If each store kept the ENTIRE
>companywide mailing database on line at EACH store, it would mean LOTS of
>wasted disk space, with the vast majority of customer names never
>visiting a given store. Even RS is not that dumb. ;-)
>

I've always been slightly amused that they don't at least share
information between stores in the *same* city.  As to storage
costs, surely the storage cost of keeping all known customers within
a hundred mile radius would be an insignificant part of the store's
overhead.
							     
Service Merchandise seems to get a bit more mileage out of their
systems.  More than once, I've been to a Service Merchandise store
and found that the item I wanted was out of stock.  They've always
been able to check the inventories of other local stores and even put
an item on hold via computer.
From: thomas@mvac23.UUCP (Thomas Lapp)
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Privacy Sci Fi Story
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 92 20:25:37 EST
Organization: MultiVac23, Newark, DE, U.S.A.

bj368@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Mike E. Romano) a while ago wrote:
>    Actually, although this account sounds pessimistic I believe
>  there may be creative solutions resulting besides the 
>  impractical: false name, cash only, moving to a cave, etc...
> 
>  It is 20 years into the future.  Computers have become
>  increasingly capable, esp in memory capacity so that an
>  average, low priced PC now has 100 gig bytes memory, etc.
>  Databases have been mushrooming via business transactions,
>  piracted voter records, dmv records, all combined....
>  lets even throw into it all city phonebooks in U.S.
>  scanned so that text searches can be made U.S. wide
>  on cd rom or the latest equivalent.

[ more about how easy it would be to rob, follow people
  around, etc. deleted ]

>  Basically it will create an atmosphere of extreme
>  obediance and conformity, everyone will try to look
>  and live exactly like everyone else in order not to
>  become a target.

There is one thing in our "favor" around this.  If you notice,
even now, it is not uncommon to receive multiple mailings for
the same thing because the addresses are slightly different,
or the name is different.  Also, if you've ever tried to keep
a database (I keep two mailing lists currently), you know
how fast they get out of date.

I suspect that even if one could create these personal dossiers
on people (is that redundent phrasing? :-), I suspect that they
will be so full of errors, historical information and inaccuracies,
that they will be extremely hard to determine fact from artifact.
                         - tom
--
internet     : mvac23!thomas@udel.edu  or  thomas%mvac23@udel.edu (home)
             : lapp@cdhub1.dnet.dupont.com (work)
OSI          : C=US/A=MCI/S=LAPP/D=ID=4398613
uucp         : {ucbvax,mcvax,uunet}!udel!mvac23!thomas
Location     : Newark, DE, USA

Newsgroups: alt.privacy
From: jon@mitre.org (J. E. Shum)
Subject: Address for Liberty Graphics 
Originator: jon@cyclone
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 19:05:01 GMT


A few years ago, I read of a company located in either
North Carolina or South Carolina that offered various
privacy enhancing products.  They called themselves
"Liberty Graphics."  Anyone out there here of them
or have an address/phone number for them?  Thanks.


-- 
<jon@mitre.org>|--24HR Libertarian Party News (900)454-2378 [$1.95 a minute]--
----------------------------------| Libertarian Party            (800)272-1776 
          DON'T BLAME ME!         | 1528 Pennsylvania Avenue SE  (202)543-1988
       I voted Libertarian.       | Washington, DC 20003         (800)682-1776
From: niebuhr@bnlux1.bnl.gov (david niebuhr)
Subject: How To Get Information About A Person
Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 19:02:50 GMT

Today's {Newsday} had a human interest feature about a private investigator
conducting a class in how easy it is to obtain information about any person
that is desired.

Before one of the classes, he did a little digging and found various items
about the students in the class.  He mentioned that one had a daughter 
living in Staten Island, New York; another never had a driver's
liscense; a third had taken an accident prevention course on a certain
date.

He said that most information can be easily found in a state's Department
of Motor Vehicles; the US Post Office; the major credit bureaus and
banks among other places.

Add to that the voter registration records; reverse telephone
directories and other readily available sources.  Freedom of
Information Act requests will re will reveal the contents of 911 tapes
and copies of liquor liscenses plus other documents. 

He even said that he could obtain information via a cellular phone and
a laptop computer if he wanted to do so at any time.  

Public records such as those for home purchases will revea more
information about a person.

How to obtain some financial information is given.  If you can't find a
persons bank account, have someone that you know but he doesn't send that
person a check ($5.00 or so).  The prey is sure to deposit it -- and when
the check comes back it will have the bank name and account number on the
back.

Credit records:  For $25 you can have the report for anyone legally or
illegally.

Looking for someone who moved?  The post office has a listing of all
change-of-address forms and information can be obtained through the mail at
the person's last known address; No address but a post office box? Pay
$3.00 and supply a written request and the post office delivers the
information even though they are not supposed to do so.

The author did some homework after the class and discovered the 
instructor's age; where he lives and when he purchased his home; his and
his wife's choices of political party; his height and that he owns all
of the family cars right now; he also has to wear glasses when he drives.

There are a few other areas mentioned but just the mention of these few
ways to gather that information should all make us wonder who knows what
about us, legally or not?

Dave

Dave Niebuhr      Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093

-- 

Dave Niebuhr      Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093

Newsgroups: alt.privacy
From: cole@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu (Sandra Stewart-Cole)
Subject: Re: How To Get Information About A Person
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 16:25:48 GMT

In <1992Nov6.190250.19331@bnlux1.bnl.gov> niebuhr@bnlux1.bnl.gov (david 
niebuhr) writes:

>Looking for someone who moved?  The post office has a listing of all
>change-of-address forms and information can be obtained through the mail at
>the person's last known address; No address but a post office box? Pay
>$3.00 and supply a written request and the post office delivers the
>information even though they are not supposed to do so.


Actually, that one is a bit more complex. If anyone is doing business thru a 
USPS box, you can get whatever info they have about the boxholder FREE. I 
cfannot cite the law on this, but I have used this a number of times to trace 
blind job application boxes, and have never gotten a second's resistance from 
any USPS employee. The same goes for forwarding addresses: the USPS gives them
out.  I don't really see how thios sort of info really should be considered 
private. If you want the governemtn to manage getting all your mail to you at a
new address, it hardly makes sense to ask them to keep the address secret. If 
you want to use a government agency to get your business mail, it makes no 
sense that the government should help you keep yourself secret from business 
associates. 

 Obviously personal PO box info is a different situation. It's clear that 
advertising a blind box number for business purposes and using a box for purely
p3ersonal reasons (like unreliable rural delivery) are different situations.
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
From: jgy@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (john.g.young)
Subject: re: Looking for counterfeit U.S. bill detector
Organization: AT&T
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 14:45:36 GMT
Keywords: Summary of responses


In <1992Oct26.162413.23837@cbnewsh.cb.att.com> I was looking
for help in tracking down a special pen or other low cost device
for detecting the validity of U.S. paper currency.

First of all, thanks to Ross Anderson, Cayce Ullman, Nem (Ryun) Schlecht,
	Bill Ranck, and Ron Carter for your responses.  The only one
	I've followed up on so far is Cayce's pointer to a firm selling
	validators removed from vending machines.
	
		John Young
		

Here are the responses in case anyone else is interested.

------------------------------
From: Ross.Anderson@cl.cam.ac.uk

Shops in the UK here use little ultraviolet lights under the counter, which
are sold for a few tens of pounds.

Banknote paper doesn't fluoresce but all the commonly sold paper stocks do.
In addition, credit cards have ultraviolet printing on them.

Ross Anderson

------------------------------

From: ullman@aludra.usc.edu (Cayce Ullman)

Hi, I don't anything about a pen validator...
but a company out here in los angeles that does mail order
and they sell wierd electronic parts and they use the same 
technology that the bill detectors in coke machines use.  Anyways
these dectectors were removed from new equipment and cost only $25.00,
and can detect bad bills (I assume) anyways you can order or get information at
818-904-0524, the company's name is All Electronics...

I hope this helps
------------------------------

From: "Nem (Ryun) Schlecht" <schlecht@plains.NoDak.edu>

John,
  The ink used by the government in U.S. bills is slightly magnetic,
thus it's uniqueness.  I heard of a small device, handheld, that
could detect this slight magnetic charge.  You might want to enquire
others about this.  I think I saw it on BEYOND 2000, but I'm not
sure.

Good luck.

------------------------------

From: ranck@joesbar.cc.vt.edu (Wm. L. Ranck)

In response to your question about testing US money for authenticity,
why doesn't your friend call the Secret Service?  They are the agency 
that is charged with preventing counterfeit money from circulating so they
should have some suggestions.
   I hope this helps.

------------------------------
From: rcarter@nyx.cs.du.edu (Ron Carter)

Jim...

I am sure you will get other (better) responses, but if you
don't, there is store nearby that has a battery operated
device such as you describe; I think it works on IR signatures;
don't know the price etc. but would be more than happy to
find out if needed...

Regards,

-------------------------------------
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
From: wcs@anchor.ho.att.com (Bill Stewart +1-908-949-0705)
Subject: Re: "Privacy for Sale" and other information
Organization: New Jersey Re-Education Facility for the Differently Clued
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 02:18:41 GMT

In article <1992Nov5.132045.18967@cbnewsk.cb.att.com> monwel@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (douglas.w.monroe) writes:
   I have just finished reading a book titled "Privacy for Sale" by
   Jeffrey Rothfeder Simon & Schuster 1992 ISBN 0-671-73492-X
	[lots of stuff deleted]

   --> Get a copy of your credit report and check it for inaccuracies
   and evidence of unauthorized snoopers.
	[TRW, Equifax, Trans-Unoin addresses deleted]

Of course, to get a credit report from them you have to give
a Social Security Number, address, and other personal information.
If one reason you're checking is to find out whether they know all
that stuff yet, well, now you can be sure they do ....

   Write to the FBI to inquire about National Crime Information Center
   (NCIC) and Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) records they might be
   maintaining on you.

Again, the general rumor with them is that if you *didn't* have an FBI
file before you applied, you will after ...

   Go to your local library or buy the book, read it, then
   WRITE YOUR CONGRESSPERSON! tell them you are appalled
   at the lack of data privacy in America.  Tell them you demand that
   they support legislation such as the proposed Data Protection Board 
   (not yet out of committee) to protect us from information abusers! 

Please don't ask the government to protect you from the government - they might!
European governments have had data privacy laws for a few years now, 
and they fairly quickly figured out the trick of using data protection laws
to justify searching peoples' computers -- after all, you might be
keeping a list on that computer with citizen's private data, such as
name-and-address lists or *gasp* electronic mail information,
and since you haven't registered your computer, we have to check it out...

Fortunately, Congresscritters typically get > 1 million letters/year,
and letters that DEMAND that they do things go in the round file.
If there are enough letters like them, especially if they all look alike
and address a politically hot topic, they may weigh them first so they
know which side's got more supporters.  What's more likely to get read
by someone other than a flunky is a polite 1-page letter bringing up
an interesting topic which the Congresscritter cares about.

The other thing that gets read are requests for bureaucratic help,
such as getting Social Security hassles straightened out or getting
your kid into West Point, which typically require the staff to talk to
the droids or send them a letter with Hizzonerable's signature,
or of course anything with cash attached :-)
--
#				Pray for peace;      Bill
# Bill Stewart 908-949-0705 wcs@anchor.att.com AT&T Bell Labs 4M312 Holmdel NJ
# Nov 12 - Anniversary of Indonesian massacre in East Timor, 1991
# Indonesia first invaded in 1975, and about 1/3 of the people have been killed.
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
From: "Gary A. Woodward" <p00140@psilink.com>
Subject: bad check
Organization: Performance Systems Int'l
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 13:55:42 GMT
X-Mailer: PSILink (3.2)

I have a question.  I took a bad check from a customer on my part time job.
I want the customers address.  But mail to address on check is bad, post 
office doesnot have forwarding.  Bank has current address but wont give itup.
I want to go and get the strereo back.  kHow can I get address without 
going to police?


GW