Date: Sat, 09 Jan 93 17:07:28 EST Errors-To: Comp-privacy Error Handler From: Computer Privacy Digest Moderator To: Comp-privacy@PICA.ARMY.MIL Subject: Computer Privacy Digest V2#005 Computer Privacy Digest Sat, 09 Jan 93 Volume 2 : Issue: 005 Today's Topics: Moderator: Dennis G. Rears Worries about privacy could tone down success of ID caller Re: SSN and new baby Re: Posting Email (was Re: Final Answer to Tavares) Re: Radar Detector Prohib Re: Zip+4 on CD-ROM? Mass. driver's license S numbers -- really different? Social Security Numbers Re: SSN The Computer Privacy Digest is a forum for discussion on the effect of technology on privacy. The digest is moderated and gatewayed into the USENET newsgroup comp.society.privacy (Moderated). Submissions should be sent to comp-privacy@pica.army.mil and administrative requests to comp-privacy-request@pica.army.mil. Back issues are available via anonymous ftp on ftp.pica.army.mil [129.139.160.133]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 00:25:25 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Worries about privacy could tone down success of ID caller From the 1/4/93 "Boston Globe" Worries about privacy could tone down success of ID caller Jonathan Yenkin Associated Press Boston - Caller ID, a phone service touted as an electronic peephole to let customers see who's calling, is making its way around the country. But it may not become a ringing success because of privacy worries. The service, which displays the number and sometimes even the name of the caller, is available in more than 20 states and has won praise for deterring obscene and annoying phone calls. But because of privacy concerns, many states have slapped on restrictions that phone companies fear will undercut the service's value. "At what point does the subscriber say, 'It's not worth it anymore?' I don't know," said Clifton Metcalf, a spokesman for Southern Bell in North Carolina. "We're going to find out." The restrictions imposed by utility regulators allow callers to block their numbers from appearing on a display unit by the phone. This can be done by pressing certain keys when making each call, or, in some states, by having the line blocked off entirely from being decoded by Caller ID. After the state imposed such restrictions in Massachusetts, New England Telephone officials found them so onerous that they initially withdrew their plans to offer the service. Susan Butta, a spokeswoman for New England Telephone, said executives worried the restrictions might make the service harder to sell. They eventually changed their minds and decided to try it. U.S. West Communications, which serves more than a dozen states, decided to include the blocking options in its proposals to utility regulators, not waiting for officials to order them, said Gwen Law, a company project manager. Consumer advocates and civil liberties groups say such restrictions are necessary. In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court ruled this year [sic] that Caller ID - without the blocking options - violated the state wiretap law. Critics often point to battered women or undercover police officers as examples of people who need to keep their phone numbers secret. "There are some people for whom the risk of forgetting to block is very great," said Mark Cooper, research director for the Consumer Federation of America. But New Jersey Bell, which pioneered Caller ID in the late 1980s, doesn't offer any blocking, and fewer than 1 percent of customers have complained about phone numbers leaking out, said company spokesman James W. Carrigan. On the other hand, Carrigan said the service has helped deter nuisance calls. About 200,000 New Jersey Bell customers, or 4.6 percent, subscribe to Caller ID. That compares with a 28 percent acceptance rate for Call Waiting, which allows customers to receive more than one call at the same time. But Carrigan insisted customers in his state who don't have Caller ID still benefit, "because the other people don't know whether you have the service, so they won't make that (harassing) call." In some places, phone companies say they are succeeding with the service despite the restrictions. Centel Corp. in Las Vegas, which serves southern Nevada, offers the blocking options and still has more than 10 percent of its customers subscribing. Dianna Fyke, a marketing manager for Centel, said there were some initial fears, but once people get accustomed to the service it becomes "a matter of fact thing." ------------------------------ From: Hans Lachman Subject: Re: SSN and new baby Organization: Netcom Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 01:02:53 GMT In article johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine) writes: >>What experience have people in this group had in keeping the SSN of a newborn >>private? I have heard that some hospitals insist on submitting the paperwork >>to the Social Security Administration to obtain the number. > >Getting an SSN for a child involves the parent filling out and signing a >form and sending it to the SSA. What's the hospital going to do if you >refuse to fill it out, keep the baby? It would seem reasonable to decline their offer to set your kid up with an SSN since he won't need one until he starts working. I was born in '63, and didn't get an SSN until around age 10, and the world didn't come to an end. I suggest you just act like not having a number is the most natural thing in the world, and maybe we'll infect others with that attitude. Hans Lachman lachman@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: Terry Carroll Subject: Re: Posting Email (was Re: Final Answer to Tavares) Date: 5 Jan 93 02:22:56 GMT Reply-To: Terry Carroll Followup-To: misc.legal Organization: Amdahl Corporation In article <1993Jan4.165444.5113@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, jmorrill@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (John M Morrill) writes: > One of the biggest misconceptions about the > copyright laws is that a copyright is a means to control the distribution > of what you write. That's not a misconception. "Subject to sections 107 through 120, the owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following: ... (3) to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending" 17 USC 106. However, the "first sale" doctrine as codified in 17 USC 109 (one of those sections that 106 is "subject to") limits the distribution right by permitting transfer of a particular copy of a copyrighted work by the lawful owner of that copy. I'm directing followups to misc.legal Terry Carroll - tjc50@juts.ccc.amdahl.com - 408/992-2152 The opinions presented above are not necessarily those of a sound mind. ------------------------------ From: "T. Archer" Subject: Re: Radar Detector Prohib Organization: University of Tennessee Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 15:50:50 GMT Apparently-To: comp-society-privacy@uunet.uu.net In article robert.heuman@rose.com (robert heuman) writes: > >JD> No, not at all. The states base their law on their right to >regulate >JD> what equipment is used in a vehicle. Virginia got burned early on by >JD> confiscating detectors they could not prove was being operated in >JD> the vehicle. Thus the use of radar detector detectors. >JD> This is the same basis used to rationalize scanner bans and red/blue >JD> flashing light bans. Whether this rational would withstand a Supreme Court >JD> test is anyone's guess. > >Interesting discussion, but obviously limited to the US. In Canada >the Federal Government, in its infinite wisdom, simply made them >illegal. No question of constitutional rights, or court challenge... >just plain made them illegal... > >Obviously the US needs to have its constitution changed, to make it >possible for the Executive Branch to simply follow the same course, >for the good of ALL drivers. After all, speed kills. Congress would >love it, wouldn't they? Look at all the porkbarreling eliminated this >way. US Taxpayers might actually SAVE money, too. > It never ceases to amaze me how differently US and Canadian citizens view their governments. Whether or not speed kills is irrelivant. Radar detectors do not kill, and should not be regulated unless the present a danger to the public. Wanting to know where radar emitters are is not a crime. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Vote Dempublican, it's easier than thinking. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ------------------------------ From: dewey@vpdbox.austin.ibm.com (Dewey Coffman) Subject: Re: Zip+4 on CD-ROM? Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 16:17:53 GMT Reply-To: dewey@vpdbox.austin.ibm.com Organization: IBM, Austin, TX. US of A. In article , Ed Ravin writes: |> You can buy it on CD-ROM, 9-track tape, and even on floppies |> or paper directories for selected areas. I still get mail with all three |> ZIP+4 codes that have been assigned to my apartment building over the |> past few years. |> I figured this was true, I contacted the USPS and they gave me the name of a company that had it on CD-ROM, course they wanted $1500 for it. Anyone know of any other Zip+4 sources on CD-ROM? -dewey --- Dewey Coffman ibmpa!vpdbox.austin.ibm.com!dewey%ibminet.awdpa.ibm.com Consulting @ IBM dewey@ctci.com 11400 Burnet Rd All opinions are mine. Austin, TX 78758-3493, USA (512) 823-6463 =============================================================================== EPA Stratospheric Ozone Hotline, 800-296-1996, IRS Info & Refunds, 800-TAX-1040 ------------------------------ From: "Daniel P. B. Smith" Subject: Mass. driver's license S numbers -- really different? Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 02:05:10 GMT Last time I had my driver's license renewed, I was pleasantly surprised to see a sign posted indicating that you could request a non-SS number. I was even more surprised, when I made the request, to find that it was "sure, no problem." (I expected a baffled look, 'gee I dunno nobody has asked about it, please wait here ten minutes will the people behind you get angry while I consult my supervisor'). So now that I have an "S number" -- the non-SS numbers all begin with S -- I keep wondering. My S number is not exactly an anagram or transposition cipher of my social security number -- but there are some distinct similar- ities. Probably just a coincidence, but it does make me wonder. Any other S-number holders out there? Are the S numbers really assigned freshly, e.g. if mine were S01234567 and the next person behind me requested one would they get S01234568? Or are they derived from the social security number by some simple algorithmic process? The other thing I wonder about is whether the S number subjects me to any subtle discrimination. I _haven't_ noticed any. But I wonder if people assume I must be some kind of deadbeat evading skip-tracers .... Just a little recreational paranoia, folks, nothing to be concerned about. -- Daniel P. B. Smith dpbsmith@world.std.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 93 23:36:00 EST From: capek@watson.ibm.com Subject: Social Security Numbers John Levine writes in Vol 2 #1: > the hospital have >absolutely no use for my SSN since neither they nor my insurance >company use it to identify me. > >Getting an SSN for a child involves the parent filling out and signing a >form and sending it to the SSA. What's the hospital going to do if you >refuse to fill it out, keep the baby? Remember, you're the customer. I wonder how long it will be that hospitals don't want to use the SSN as an identifier. My employer recently switched from using employee numbers (no relation to SSN, or anything else) to SSN's for health insurance processing. Also, I'm quite sure that the Social Security Administration now requires a copy of a birth certificate before issuing a new SSN for a baby. Peter Capek ------------------------------ MMDF-Warning: Parse error in original version of preceding line at COR3.PICA.ARMY.MIL Subject: Re: SSN Organization: I.E.C.C. Date: 8 Jan 93 00:11:56 EST (Fri) From: "John R. Levine" >And, unlike names and addresses, a person's SSN cannot be duplicated or >changed. An SSN, once issued, is ours to keep. It never changes. The SSN is >truly the "universal identifier." I have read that due to 45 years of clerical errors there are over four million people who have either more than one SSN or use an SSN also used by someone else. It is a gross oversimplification to claim that the SSN is unique. >With a correct SSN in hand, an employer will be able to >obtain a broad spectrum of data of great significance in pre-employment >investigations. Without it, however, the employer will be blocked from >receiving accurate information. This is also grossly oversimplified. You're probably referring to the personal data banks kept by outfits like Equifax, in which roughly 1/3 of the records contain data that is obsolete or just plain wrong. It would be more correct to say that the SSN makes it easier obtain unverified and often inaccurate information. Also note that the only two data banks legitimately indexed by SSN, those kept by the SSA and IRS are legally off limits to prospective employers, whether or not they have an SSN. >SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TABLE > >AREA HIGHEST GROUP NUMBERS STATE OR TERRITORY >NUMBER odd<10 even>=10 even<10 odd>10 > >000 none none none none unassigned >001 09 74 none none New Hampshire ... You might also tell us when you compiled this table. Since several million new SSNs are issued each year, tables like this rapidly go out of date. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl ------------------------------ End of Computer Privacy Digest V2 #005 ******************************