Privacy Resolutions for the New Year

Chris Hoofnagle writes "EPIC has released ten privacy resolutions for the New Year. In addition to losing weight next year, lose all those data brokers who are after your bits."

Comments

No more credit card offers!

[azav]

So sweet. This is the best /. story this year because it can get rid of all those credit card offers.

I called up the phone number in step 5 and was notified of a web site that would remove credit card offers and insurance offers for 5 years or permanently!

Guess what I signed up for?

https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

So sweet. Less junk mail is a good thing.

Re:Cash purchases

[nkh]

Cashiers who ask for info? Tell them they don't need it. And repeat "Here's your money" like a broken toy, it helps!

If you work for a retailer and are forced to ask, ask politely if the client wish to give some info. I'm just a client and I really appreciate when I'm asked instead of trying to answering their threatening demands.

Disposable identities

[Indy Media Watch]

Engage in "privacy self defense." Don't share any personal information with businesses unless it is absolutely necessary

Or... Give them disposable information that allows you to cease hearing from them, or know when/if they have distributed your information without consent.

To this end, I highly recommend Spam Gourmet which allows the on-the-fly creation of disposable email addresses.

If you walk into McDonalds and really want to sign up for their win a free cheeseburger contest, you give them an email address like cheesy.n.youraccount@spamgourmet.com and you will only ever receive 'n' emails to that address before it dies.

Of course if you then receive emails from Pizza Hut, you know exactly where they got the email from.

If you never want to hear from the person, give them this address: me@privacy.net.

Any emails sent to that address receive a reply to the effect of: "whoever gave you this address didn't want you to have theirs".

Useful stuff!