Slashdot Mirror
Can You Sue Over Loss of Personal Information?
GreenCrackBaby asks: "My wife was at a mall about a year ago when she ran across one of those groups who were trying to sign people up for a Visa credit card. Since she didn't yet have a credit card, she decided she'd fill out the form. She had everything filled out and was ready to sign it when she noticed the draconian fine print that essentially promised that they would sell her personal data to anyone they could, so instead of signing the form she said 'no thanks' and tossed it in the garbage. That was a mistake she has been made to regret. Almost immediately SPAM to her university email address went from 0 to 20 a day, and has been slowly increasing since. Soon we started to receive a large number of telemarketing calls to our home (where before we had received almost none). Junk mail addressed to her went through the roof. It wasn't until the Visa card arrived addressed to her that we knew what had happened." It appears that someone fished this woman's application out of the garbage and submitted this anyways, without a signature. How is something like this even close to being legal?
"What has become clear is that someone selling those Visas fished her application out from the garbage and submitted it. We've managed to track down a copy of the form she had filled out, and in the signature area is a big 'N/A'. So now her personal information is being sold to every telemarketer, spammer, and junk mail shop in North America. What can she do? We'd like to sue the company who fished the application from the garbage and make a lesson out of them, but what is there to sue over? Is the loss of personal information even considered a tort?"
TLA hey TLA hey TLA hey... Helpful Travel Information Hotels Adams Mark Hotels 800-231-5858 Best Western 800-528-1234 Courtyard by Marriott 800-321-2211 Doubletree Hotels 800-528-0444 Econo Lodges 800-446-6900 Embassy Suites 800-362-2779 Fairfield Inn 800-228-2800 Four Seasons 800-332-3442 Hampton Inn 800-426-7866 Helmsley Hotels 800-283-3824 Hilton Hotels 800-445-8667 Holiday Inns 800-465-4329 Howard Johnson 800-465-4329 Hyatt Hotels Corporation 800-233-1234 Loews Hotels 800-223-0888 Marriott Hotels 800-228-9290 Marriott Residence Inns 800-331-3131 Meridien Hotels 800-543-4300 Omni 800-843-6664 Outrigger 800-733-7777 Quality Inns 800-221-2222 Radisson Hotel Corporation 800-333-3333 Ramada Inns 800-272-6232 Ritz Carlton Hotels 800-241-3333 Sheraton 800-325-3535 Stouffer Hotels 800-468-3571 Travelodge Interational 800-255-3050 Westin Hotels 800-228-3000 Airlines Air Canada 888-247-2262 Air France 800-AF-PARIS Alaska Airlines 800-426-0333 Alitalia 800-223-5730 American Airlines 800-433-7300 American Trans Air 800-225-2995 America West Airlines 800-235-9292 British Airways 800-AIRWAYS Carnival Airlines 800-437-2110 Continental Airlines 800-525-0280 Delta Airlines 800-221-1212 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 800-374-7747 Lufthansa German Airlines 800-645-3880 Northwest Airlines 800-225-2525 Qantas Airways 800-227-4500 Southwest Airlines 800-435-9792 Swissair 800-221-4750 Tower Air 800-34-TOWER Trans World Airlines 800-221-2000 United Airlines 800-241-6522 USAIR 800-428-4322 Virgin Atlantic Airways 800-862-8621 Car Rentals Advantage Rent-A-Car 800-777-5500 Alamo Rent A Car 800-327-9633 Avis Rent A Car 800-331-1212 Budget Car and Truck Rental 800-527-0700 Dollar Rent A Car 800-800-3665 Enterprise Rent-A-Car 800-Rent-a-car Hertz Rent A Car 800-654-3131 Kemwel Holiday Autos 800-576-1590 National Car Rental 800-227-7368 Thrifty Car Rental 800-367-2277 Credit Card Numbers (to report lost or stolen) American Express (Except AZ) 800-528-4800 Diners Club (Except CO & Canada) 800-525-9040 Discover Card 800-347-2683 MasterCard - USA 800-826-2181 MasterCard Outside USA (Collect) 212-974-5696 Visa (Except CA) 800-336-8472 Air Freight Companies Airborne Express 800-426-2323 DHL Courier Express 800-225-5345 Emery Worldwide 800-443-6379 Federal Express 800-238-5355 UPS 800-742-5877 Personal Numbers to Remember Frequent Flyer Numbers 1. (enter here) 2. (enter here) 3. (enter here) Confirmation Numbers 1. (enter here) 2. (enter here) 3. (enter here) When Flying 1. Be Aware of Your Surroundings The next time you are in an airport or on an aircraft, take notice of your surroundings, especially of activities or situations that do not appear to be normal. 2. Report Unusual Activity If you see anything in the airport or on an aircraft that looks out of place or otherwise inappropriate such as unusual behavior or potential security violations, inform either a law enforcement representative or someone in authority. 3. Make No Assumptions About Who May Pose a Threat If someone is intent on perpetrating violent acts against the air transport system, that person can be of any age, gender, or nationality. You should not assume that any particular type of person is likely to do harm simply because of outward appearances. 4. Stay Away from Suspicious Circumstances If you encounter a potential hazard in the airport, move away from the situation before contacting someone in authority. If necessary, warn others in the vicinity. Examples of potential hazards include unaccompanied packages, suspicious behavior, or an unusual commotion. 5. Keep Your Seat Belt Fastened While You are Seated Keeping the belt on when you are seated provides that extra protection you might need if the plane hits unexpected turbulence of if the aircraft is put through unusual maneuvers. 6. Listen to the Flight Attendants The primary reason flight attendants are on an aircraft is for safety, so if there is any kind of emergency or potential emergency situation, look to the flight attendants for guidance. 7. Become Familiar with Your Aircraft When you are first seated
Helpful Travel Information Hotels Adams Mark Hotels 800-231-5858 Best Western 800-528-1234 Courtyard by Marriott 800-321-2211 Doubletree Hotels 800-528-0444 Econo Lodges 800-446-6900 Embassy Suites 800-362-2779 Fairfield Inn 800-228-2800 Four Seasons 800-332-3442 Hampton Inn 800-426-7866 Helmsley Hotels 800-283-3824 Hilton Hotels 800-445-8667 Holiday Inns 800-465-4329 Howard Johnson 800-465-4329 Hyatt Hotels Corporation 800-233-1234 Loews Hotels 800-223-0888 Marriott Hotels 800-228-9290 Marriott Residence Inns 800-331-3131 Meridien Hotels 800-543-4300 Omni 800-843-6664 Outrigger 800-733-7777 Quality Inns 800-221-2222 Radisson Hotel Corporation 800-333-3333 Ramada Inns 800-272-6232 Ritz Carlton Hotels 800-241-3333 Sheraton 800-325-3535 Stouffer Hotels 800-468-3571 Travelodge Interational 800-255-3050 Westin Hotels 800-228-3000 Airlines Air Canada 888-247-2262 Air France 800-AF-PARIS Alaska Airlines 800-426-0333 Alitalia 800-223-5730 American Airlines 800-433-7300 American Trans Air 800-225-2995 America West Airlines 800-235-9292 British Airways 800-AIRWAYS Carnival Airlines 800-437-2110 Continental Airlines 800-525-0280 Delta Airlines 800-221-1212 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 800-374-7747 Lufthansa German Airlines 800-645-3880 Northwest Airlines 800-225-2525 Qantas Airways 800-227-4500 Southwest Airlines 800-435-9792 Swissair 800-221-4750 Tower Air 800-34-TOWER Trans World Airlines 800-221-2000 United Airlines 800-241-6522 USAIR 800-428-4322 Virgin Atlantic Airways 800-862-8621 Car Rentals Advantage Rent-A-Car 800-777-5500 Alamo Rent A Car 800-327-9633 Avis Rent A Car 800-331-1212 Budget Car and Truck Rental 800-527-0700 Dollar Rent A Car 800-800-3665 Enterprise Rent-A-Car 800-Rent-a-car Hertz Rent A Car 800-654-3131 Kemwel Holiday Autos 800-576-1590 National Car Rental 800-227-7368 Thrifty Car Rental 800-367-2277 Credit Card Numbers (to report lost or stolen) American Express (Except AZ) 800-528-4800 Diners Club (Except CO & Canada) 800-525-9040 Discover Card 800-347-2683 MasterCard - USA 800-826-2181 MasterCard Outside USA (Collect) 212-974-5696 Visa (Except CA) 800-336-8472 Air Freight Companies Airborne Express 800-426-2323 DHL Courier Express 800-225-5345 Emery Worldwide 800-443-6379 Federal Express 800-238-5355 UPS 800-742-5877 Personal Numbers to Remember Frequent Flyer Numbers 1. (enter here) 2. (enter here) 3. (enter here) Confirmation Numbers 1. (enter here) 2. (enter here) 3. (enter here) When Flying 1. Be Aware of Your Surroundings The next time you are in an airport or on an aircraft, take notice of your surroundings, especially of activities or situations that do not appear to be normal. 2. Report Unusual Activity If you see anything in the airport or on an aircraft that looks out of place or otherwise inappropriate such as unusual behavior or potential security violations, inform either a law enforcement representative or someone in authority. 3. Make No Assumptions About Who May Pose a Threat If someone is intent on perpetrating violent acts against the air transport system, that person can be of any age, gender, or nationality. You should not assume that any particular type of person is likely to do harm simply because of outward appearances. 4. Stay Away from Suspicious Circumstances If you encounter a potential hazard in the airport, move away from the situation before contacting someone in authority. If necessary, warn others in the vicinity. Examples of potential hazards include unaccompanied packages, suspicious behavior, or an unusual commotion. 5. Keep Your Seat Belt Fastened While You are Seated Keeping the belt on when you are seated provides that extra protection you might need if the plane hits unexpected turbulence of if the aircraft is put through unusual maneuvers. 6. Listen to the Flight Attendants The primary reason flight attendants are on an aircraft is for safety, so if there is any kind of emergency or potential emergency situation, look to the flight attendants for guidance. 7. Become Familiar with Your Aircraft When you are first seated, review the written safety