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Donated or Belong to the ACLU? Boy do they have a file on YOU!!


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The Drudge Report has linked an article from the NY Times entitled "A.C.L.U.'s Search for Data on Donors Stirs Privacy Fears" its a chilling piece that outlines how the ACLU opens a file on significant donors and members and collects information such as ..." individual's wealth, holdings in public corporations, other assets and philanthropic interests."

 

It also notes that the ACLU has failed to notifiy its membersip of the data-mining of personal information that it conducts on each of its members.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/18/national/18aclu.html?ei=5006&en=1fb103f41ec09d84&ex=1104037200&partner=ALTAVISTA1&pagewanted=print&position=

 

 

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So does every charitable organization, PBS station, museum and community group to which you've ever contributed.

 

It's smart business --- people who give give again.

It's why we fundraise popcorn the way we do!

 

It's why kids know which neighborhoods to trick-or-treat!

 

It's also why Drudge does what he does - again and again - demographic studies!

 

jd(This message has been edited by johndaigler)

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So....? If your point is that THEY do it then you must react similarly to every OTHER business and organization that does it. Do you?

I have a case in point for you:

I have a neighbor family (ok they live 0.5 miles away) that is almost never seen outside their home. If I knock on their door, there is a 90% chance they won't even answer it. They don't answer phone calls or correspondence sent to them, at least not from me. That is fine with me but my point is - they are very private. I dare say that prying eyes don't notice them and they give very little reason for eyes to pry. But if you get a credit card, join BSA as an adult leader, buy a car, you get the picture, there are going to be lots of prying eyes. You'll know neither who they are nor their motives. And until they cross the line for whatever privacy laws there are, you can do nothing about it. So....?

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So??? It's an integrity issue. Republicans, Dems, and your local charitys tell you that they may keep a record of your participation. I guess the real point is that the ACLU has told its rank and file that I would not collect information about its members without permission. It got caught in a lie.

 

The NYT story states that as a result of getting caught it changed its policy statement on its web site on Nov 8th. To take a quote from the story..."Michael Meyers, vice president of the [ACLU] 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."

 

Another point in the story which I found VERY interesting is that the ACLU pulled out of a federal charity drive because the US government required that the ACLU to certify that it would not knowingly employ people whose names were on government terrorism watch lists.

 

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Before the word was coined, data mining has always been an element used by both our State and Federal governments; plus, we must include the private sectors also...besides the ACLU, who else may have files on you..

 

- the IRS

- the CIA

- Banks, Savings and Loans, etc.

- the FBI

- the NSA/NRO.....thanks to cell phones

- Social Security

- the DMV

- your internet provider using spyware

- schools

- local PD's

 

so much for privacy, hey....;)

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The point is not that the data was collected. It is hypocrisy. When I call the IRS, I *KNOW* my file is being updated. When I donate to the party of my choice, I *KNOW* that information will be given to other parties unless I opt out. There is no pretending. Hardy is right, it's an integrity issue.

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