FC: Charles Platt on privacy and FTC's do-not-call database

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

I would say with confidence that I believe the folks at FTC have no 
ulterior motives in creating this registry. But administrations can change 
and policies can shift, and in any case the FTC may have little power to 
resist requests from law enforcement agencies for the complete database.

See:
http://donotcall.gov/privacy/privacy.aspx
> Phone numbers in the registry may also be shared with law enforcement to 
> assure compliance with federal and state law. [And regarding requests] 
> from Congress, Freedom of Information Act requests from private 
> individuals or companies, during litigation, for routine agency uses 
> subject to the Privacy Act, or under our access and public record rules, 
> we may be required or authorized by law to disclose the information you 
> provide.

And, more generally, see:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/rulemaking/tsr/tsrrulemaking/index.htm

-Declan

---

Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003 14:22:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: other () platt us
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
cc: politech () politechbot com
Subject: the donotcall database

According to AP (regurgitated in Yahoo): "WASHINGTON - The public's
simmering frustration with telemarketers erupted Friday as people hurried
to sign up for a new national do-not-call list, registering about 370,000
telephone numbers in the program's first 12 hours."

I wonder if any politech recipients have added their phone numbers to this
interesting new database. If they did, I wonder if they felt the momentary
misgiving that I experienced myself when the government-run system refused
to list my phone numbers as do-not-call until I provided a valid email
address for confirmation.

I'm not sure exactly what someone could do with a huge database that links
phone numbers with email addresses. But it triggered a reflexive concern,
especially since I didn't see any notes about how the database is secured.




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