That’s right, Lair is giving out a very well deserved Full of Crap Award to the A.C.L.U. for it’s data mining practices. Quoting the New Your Times:
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.
Hope he sticks it to them but since they changed their privacy policy, probably without telling anyone, doubt he could make it stick. Suggest he take that stick and shove it up their collective a****.
“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 A.C.L.U. has values, that’s a first. I have yet to read anything good about them.
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.”
Nothing like doing things surreptitiously. Sneaky, underhanded bastards. Creative way to solve the problem, change the policy so it doesn’t prohibit data mining, not stop the data mining. Food for thought when giving up info on a website, thou their policy at the time you enter the data may protect your privacy, they can change their policy at any time without notice after the fact and there isn’t a thing you can do about it. Well, could have the A.C.L.U. file a lawsuit on your behalf but, considering their own practices, you might be out of luck.
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.
If people knew that a paltry gift of $20 would trigger extensive data mining into every aspect of their life without informing them, they might be less inclined to give, no? What good is a board if they don’t know what their organization is up to? Or when one of the board members finds out and objects, gets barred from further meetings while they continue their underhanded practices? They did bar him from a subsequent meeting on the issue, guessing they don’t like whistleblowers. Oh, and this is rich.
The process is no different than using Google for research, he said, emphasizing that Grenzebach has a contractual obligation to keep information private.
I think it goes beyond a Google search, way beyond. There is no comparison. Mind you, I have no worries, they won’t get a single dime out of me, never have, never will.
