Date: Tue, 12 Oct 93 16:27:03 EST Errors-To: Comp-privacy Error Handler From: Computer Privacy Digest Moderator To: Comp-privacy@PICA.ARMY.MIL Subject: Computer Privacy Digest V3#055 Computer Privacy Digest Tue, 12 Oct 93 Volume 3 : Issue: 055 Today's Topics: Moderator: Dennis G. Rears Re: crypto witchhunt? Digital Detective At Your Service Digital Cash Re: Equifax/Credit Bureau Correcting 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]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: amn@ubik.demon.co.uk (Anthony Naggs) Subject: Re: crypto witchhunt? Organization: UBIK (we are everywhere!) Date: Sat, 25 Sep 1993 21:49:27 +0000 Computer Underground Digest v5 #74 carried two more postings on this. Apparently Phil Zimmermann's previous message there was not intended for public distribution, (I forwarded it here from CuD, unaware of this). Check his latest message, attached below, for details. The second was a further note from Grady Ward, in a similar vein to the one I forwarded here. I don't think it contains new information directly related to the privacy aspects, and it seems unfair to repost too much of CuD here. (If you're interested to read it, CuD is distributed as a newsgroup; comp.society.cu-digest). I am not well qualified to comment on US politics, but I sincerely hope this is not a step towards your outlawing non-Clipper cryptography. Regards, Anthony ----< begin include text >---- Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1993 05:36:08 GMT From: hugh@GARGOYLE.UCHICAGO.EDU(Hugh Miller) Subject: File 1--Phil Zimmerman Comments on Encryption Flap Phil asked me to forward this to the Digest. It points up the problems of keeping _ANYTHING_ secret in the electronic world (unless, of course, it is SECURELY encrypted \;-}). It is more or less self-explanatory. Let me square his remark at the end, though: whatever happens, Phil is facing some pretty vast legal bills. Now is the time for all of us who favor crypto for the masses to pony up and put our wallets where our mouths are. I pledge $100 NOW, and challenge every one of you to match or exceed me. I'll keep it up until Phil's out of the hole. ($100 on a regular basis is a lot of money on an assistant professor's salary with 3 kids.) Examine your conscience and write that check. Pronto. Hugh Miller Asst. Prof. Dept. of Philosophy Loyola University Chicago ++------------------- Date--Sun, 19 Sep 1993 13:38:44 -0500 From--Philip Zimmermann Subject--Zimmermann statement on PGP investigation Some of you may have received my Internet message of a couple of days ago about the ongoing U.S. Customs investigation of the exportation of PGP, which has now progressed to the level of Federal Grand Jury subpoenas. This earlier message was intended by me for distribution to a very small group of friends who previously communicated their concern about me and the investigation and asked to be kept informed. I did not send the message to anyone outside this group. Unfortunately, I did not adequately assert my desire that the message not be further disseminated. It appears that the message has gone completely public. This was not my intention. My lawyer, Phil Dubois, has been in touch with the Assistant U.S. Attorney (William Keane) assigned to the investigation. We have no reason to believe that Mr. Keane is anything other than a professional and reasonable person. He made it clear that no decision has been made regarding any prosecution of anyone for any offense in this matter. Such decisions will not be made for some time, perhaps several months. Mr. Keane also made clear his willingness to listen to us (me and my lawyer) before making any decision. It appears that both Mr. Keane's mind and the lines of communication are open. My fear is that public dissemination of my message will close the lines of communication and put Mr. Keane into an irretrievably adversarial position. Such a result would not serve any of our interests. My lawyer tells me that nothing irritates a prosecutor more than being the subject of what he perceives to be an orchestrated publicity campaign. He also tells me that his nightmares involve FOAs (Friends Of the Accused), invariably people with good intentions, doing things on their own. I understand that the issues involved in this investigation are of the greatest importance and transcend my personal interests. Even so, I would rather not turn an investigation into a full-scale federal prosecution. I ask that everyone keep in mind that the government's resources are limitless and that mine are not. Speaking of resources, many of you have offered help, and I am grateful. Those wishing to contribute financially or otherwise should contact either me or Philip L. Dubois, Esq., at dubois@csn.org or by phone at 303-444-3885 or by mail at 2305 Broadway, Boulder, CO, 80304. Mr. Dubois has just got on the Internet and is still learning how to use it. Donated funds will be kept in a trust account, and all contributions will be accounted for. If this whole thing somehow goes away with money left in the account, the balance will be refunded to contributors in proportion to the amounts of their contributions. This message can be widely circulated on public forums. Philip Zimmermann prz@acm.org 303 541-0140 ------------------------------ From: ptownson@telecom.chi.il.us Newsgroups: comp.society.privacy,alt.privacy,misc.consumers,misc.legal,misc.misc,chi.general Subject: Digital Detective At Your Service Date: Wed, 6 Oct 1993 15:35:00 CDT Organization: Digital Detective, 312-465-0707 DIGITAL DETECTIVE 2241 W. Howard #208 Chicago, IL 60645 Phone: 312-465-0707 Fax: 312-743-0002 I wish to announce my recent aquisition of some databases which are primarily used by skip-tracing, investigative and government agencies to locate people, any assets they may have, and other pertinent and personal details of their lives. These databases are being made available to anyone who wishes to have access to them. The charges are simply being passed along, 'at cost' based on what I am paying. First, a description of what is available and the cost for access. Then, information on how to obtain the information you want. SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TRACING: =============================== You provide an SSN. I will advise you of all the names which have been used with this SSN, and the addresses which go with each. Or it can be the other way around: you supply an exact name and address (it can sometimes be a former address), and I will supply you with the SSN used by that person. Cost for each lookup, either direction is $60.00 PEOPLE FINDER: ============== You provide a name. Any name okay, but very common names will render a useless list. Middle initials and last known address is requested if possible. You'll receive a listing of every person who has that name, along with other data: New address if they moved; Telephone number provided the number is published; Residence type; Length of residence; Gender; Date of birth; Up to four other household members and their dates of birth. For additional information, People Finder also can provide a neighbor listing which includes up to ten neighbors, their addresses, phone numbers and residence types. The People Finder database has 120 million names, 80 million house- holds and 61 million telephone numbers. It can be searched by telephone number only: You provide the phone number, I will respond with the person's profile and neighbor listing. Ot it can be searched by address only, with the same results. Cost for each lookup is based on how extensive the search is. Within a single state only, $80 Checking two or three states, $95 Checking nationwide, $120 Address or phone trace, $50 (either one) Both address/phone trace $90 People Finder comes with a guarentee: if I cannot produce at least one person with the name you request plus an address for that person, then there is no charge. CONSUMER CREDIT REPORTS: ======================== Consumer Credit reports availale from one bureau, $60 Consumer Credit reports available from three bureaus, $100 I need two things: 1. The name and address of the person, plus SSN if possible. 2. A *signed* statement that your request is for bonafide, legal reasons, i.e. you are considering an extension of credit to the person, or possibly employing them, etc. I cannot proceed without this signed statement. OTHER DATABASE FEATURES: ======================== Has someone ever filed bankruptcy? The database will tell you if they have or not. Not all federal districts are yet installed but for those that are in the database, I can get you the details: Any one district $40 Checking all districts avail. $160 Commercial Credit reports available on any business in file, $95 About fourteen million businesses and corporations included. Criminal History records available at $75-100 per jurisdiction you request searched. Want to know if someone has ever been in prison? Want to know if someone has ever been sued, or been a defendant in a criminal action? I need the exact name, SSN and DOB of the person. (If needed, get the SSN and DOB by using the lookups mentioned earlier.) If you have a good idea *where* such action or incarceration may have taken place, it will greatly reduce your costs in using this database. Death Records can be provided in various formats: By SSN only - is the holder of that SSN deceased or not? $30 By name - a more detailed account of their demise $40 Drivers Records can be pulled but the exact name and DOB is essential; otherwise if you have the full driver's license number, the search can be reversed, providing a name and DOB plus address. (Then use People Finder address trace on them.) $65 Education and degree verification is possible, and frequently used to expose those people who are not what they claim to be. $35 Real Property Asset Locator database $75 I can do this, but need to know *which* areas to search. With this information, you know whether or not it is advisable to sue someone 'for everything he has got' or not. Who is the real owner of the corporation with which you are having a dispute? The name(s) and address(es) of the officers of corporations are available in many places. Sometimes you get their home address and phone number in the process. If you know what state the corporation is based in $45 If you wish to have a search of 30 states done $165 Would you like to know if soeone is getting workers comp money? If you know what state they are likely to get it from, I can verify it (only in selected areas) $63 Uniform Commercial Code filings by state $52 VIN (vehicle identification numbers) checked by state $50 ================================== Now those are the basic items available in the databases. There are other features and further, more detailed searches can be done at the rate of $100 per hour. Some caveats: You have to pay for the lookup whether or not it is successful because *I* have to pay each time I access the databases. The better the information you provide to start with, the more likely you will get positive results. The exception is 'People Finder'. If I cannot provide you with *at least one name* which matches your request or *at least one person* at the specified address or phone number, then there is no charge. 'People Finder' may or may not include unlisted/non-pub phone numbers. Don't count on it. It won't work with PO Box addresses. Regards SSN Trace, it does not work well if the person to whom the number is issued is less than 21-22 years of age. The number has to be circulating for a year or so in order for it to make its way into the database. Meaning, a person has to have credit, have entered into various agreements, etc ... and they may have done this as early as age 18, but best results are obtained on these traces if the person is at least a few years older. On the Drivers Records checks, CA only lists names without addresses and MA/GA are difficult to work with. If you want a credit bureau report on someone, I repeat: you must send a signed statement (by fax is okay) stating that you have a bonafide, legal reason for this information. Spouses are *not* legally entitled to the credit bureau file of their 'other half' without permission. ================== How to obtain the information you want: Payment can be by credit card, electronic funds transfer from your USA bank account, or check sent with your inquiry. If you pay by credit card or EFT, then transactions can be handled by phone or fax entirely. With your request, include your VISA/MC number, the name on the account, and date of expiration. Or, include the name of your bank, the exact name on the checking account, and *all* the numbers across the bottom of your check. Telephone: 312-465-0707 or Fax: 312-743-0002 Generally, your search results will be returned to you within 24-36 hours under most conditions. If you prefer to send a letter, you can include your check or relevant credit card information in the letter addressed to: Patrick Townson 2241 West Howard Street #208 Chicago, IL 60645 ------------------------------------------------------ Information should be available to everyone, not just the lawyers and bankers and government agencies. I'll provide information to anyone, at anytime from the categories above. Hope to hear from you soon with your requests. Here's to successful snooping! Get the goods on your friends and enemies alike. An imposter/fraud/con-artist on the net? Expose them in a detailed message with stuff you get from the database. Patrick Townson for DIGITAL DETECTIVE ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1993 04:47:43 +0000 (GMT) From: Todd M Cocks Subject: Digital Cash Organization: University of Saskatchewan [ Article crossposted from alt.cyberpunk ] [ Author was Todd M Cocks ] [ Posted on 8 Oct 1993 04:46:14 GMT ] Ok, after being told by numerous people that what I was talking about was a debit card and not digicash, I'm now struck with a question: Why is privacy so important that people are wary about debit cards and instead would like the total anonymity of digicash? If the purchases made through a debit card are known only to the purchaser, the place the item/service was purchased and the bank, what is the problem? Laws have been put in place to protect banks from handing out account information to just anyone, no? I can see the possibility for misuse and abuse for this info should laws/ attitudes change, but as it stands it seems to me to be people crying fire over just a little smoke. Digicash has many of the disadvantages of current cash transactions. Illegal activities can be conducted with complete anonymity. If you are mugged, I don't think the guy mugging you will accept that you don't wish to tell him your decode number... Anyway I'm sure there's a lot out there that I should catch up on since this subject is getting my 'wheels' turning so much. Can anyone offer me references to look into this more? Todd ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Oct 93 20:40:00 PDT From: Kelly Bert Manning Subject: Re: Equifax/Credit Bureau Correcting Newsgroups: misc.consumer > >In article <1993Oct5.235022.1573@camins.camosun.bc.ca> you write: >>In a previous article, erc@netcom.com () says: >> "Privacy Journal" reported that Credit Bureaus changed their definition >> of an error to "incorrect information that adversely affects a consumer". >> Translation: A file can contain garbage for years, but it is 100% >> accurate until a consumer finds out about it and is denied a loan or job. > >Can you tell me how to suscribe to "Privacy Journal"? > It's US$109/year for 12 issues that are only about 8 to 12 pages, so I've never subscribed. There are a couple of institutional libraries in Victoria that have subscriptions so I read it there. It is the sort of thing that you might expect to find in a University library, or in a law library. It is also supposed to be available on a commercial electronic service called NEWSNET. The ISSN is 0145-7659. It is published by Robert Ellis Smith, who has also written: The Law of Privacy in a Nutshell War Stories, 500 real-life accounts of privacy invasions Compilation of State and Federal Privacy Laws(1992) Celebrities and Privacy Collection and Use of Social Security Numbers, a report Directory of Privacy Professionals Our Vanishing Privacy, essays on consumer issues Privacy: How to Protect What's Left of It, Searches and Surveillance in the Workplace Workrights The circulation manager is Lee Shoreham. Their phone number is (401)274-7861, mailing address P.O. Box 28577 Providence, R.I. U.S.A. 02908 ------------------------------ End of Computer Privacy Digest V3 #055 ******************************