Americans should be alarmed at how easy it is for private data brokers to get their hands on anyone’s personal banking and telephone information. The data peddlers’ aggressive tactics, including impersonation and trickery, are almost certainly illegal, according to the FBI.
But that hasn’t stopped federal and local law enforcement agencies — including the FBI — from paying millions to data brokers for the private information, according to a congressional investigation, in the process sidestepping warrants and subpoenas and violating citizens’ rights.
One ex-data broker’s testimony about how easy it is to get any information about anyone astonished lawmakers and prompted Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., to remark, “I don’t think we have any privacy at all.”
It’s another example of how our government is literally selling out our civil liberties.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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9 Comments
Well, it seems as if my paranoia is (reasonably) justified. I don’t have a bank account, checking account or credit cards for this reason. I deal strictly with cash. It’s sometimes a pain in the butt not having plastic for ‘easy’ purchases, but knowing that my personal data isn’t being sold or traced = peace of mind and is well worth the (minor) inconvenience.
Two can play at this game with a little sleuthing on a government website i got this little tidbit.Porter Goss Head of the CIA and former congressman’s SS number 041-30-4164 or how about former Sec of State Colin Powell 113-28-4024 if I can get the former head of the CIA’s SS number in just a couple of minutes how competent van they be.
Personal banking and telephone information isn’t a violation of civil rights. They belong to those companies that have them.
We get phone books for free and delivered. It has the names, addresses, and phone numbers to practally everybody in the area. Is that a violation?
I understand that “Privacy” rights walk a very thin line with todays trade-off for security purposes.
But I bet you that all information in regards to financial records, phone records, and etc. are in the fine print that you don’t own that information.
Social Security numbers are another thing. Although it wasn’t suppose to be used as a means of indentification, we had nothing else, so your government retirement account is used as a way to indetifiy you for credit and employment purposes. It does belong to you, and there are laws against illegal use of it, such as what Dingus has just did.
But we have safegaurds in place to help redress issues of misuse and fraud. For the most part, not many people are ever effected.
Just have to keep an eye out. Good luck to the tin foil paranoid out there. Convience is sure on my side and my life is easier and I’m not afraid of the government or fraud.
There is no privacy anymore. A man’s home is not his castle, his/her SSN is used by everybody wanting info on you. Government can read/tap/listen/photograph anything you say or do. I’m afraid 1984 has arrived. We even have the language being used by the current administration. And it’s all in the name of security. If that’s not an oxymoron, I don’t know what is.
The NSA phone log mining brought out the most shocking news that this was not consider private nor is your bank records. It should be illegal for anyone to profit from the sell of this information. These records are need for the operation of the business. That is a give me. But the tracking of what you buy and for that matter what you surf on line should be a private matter. Not used against you to feed spam and other crap to you. Of the big three, warrant less wiretapping, the collecting of phone calls and the following of transfers of money. Transfer of money is the least alarming to me, like someone pointed out I have no money to transfer so it is not about me. Since the mining of such data does cross state lines the federal Government should control it. To make it illegal!!!!
On the income tax forms there was a blurb about how the IRS was going to sell your info to marketers and you needed to check this little box totally off the beaten path to opt out and not have your info sold.
For sale? hehehe. Nope. The conservative bed wetting republicans will just GIVE away their rights to privacy, the right of one person and one vote, and the right to free speech and freedom of religion.
Sell our civil liberties? heheh. nawwwww. They have plenty of money. They just GIVE the constitution away and manage to do what all the dictators and facists in history couldnt accomplish.
Destroy America. Destroy the Constitution. Destroy our freedoms and make a mockery of those who died to protect these civil liberties they want to give away.
They have made our government into a “neocons gone wild” video.
It is imperative that the Orwellian party be brought down, so freedom can carry on.
Actually I info I got regarding SS numbers was on a government website if you really want some scary reading try this http://www.opcva.com/watchdog/011005a.html The fact is that the government does such shoddy work regarding protecting information that anybody can read the former head of the CIA ss number is just pathetic. Although maybe when Porter Goss or Colin Powell are victims of identity theft will the government take action and protect private information.