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Minnesota GOP's CD Raises Privacy Concerns

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the everyone-has-an-angle dept.

doginthewoods writes to tell us the ThinkProgress blog is reporting that the Minnesota Republican Party has been distributing a new CD about a recent proposed amendment. The CD poses questions about some of the hot-button issues like abortion, gun control, and illegal immigration. The problem with this CD, however, is that it "phones home" to the Minnesota GOP, without making it clear that your name is attached. So, if you take a look at the CD and take time to answer the questions, beware. Once you are finished they will know not only who you are, but where you stand on the issues at hand.

4 of 413 comments (clear)

  1. Let me get this straight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you submit a form with your name on it... it submits your form with your name on it?!! The shock! The horror!

    Anyway, the real story, if you actually read, is that the information you submit is supposedly available on a publicly accessible website.

  2. Originally reported by Bob Collins by AxsDeny · · Score: 5, Informative

    From part of his story at Minnesota Public Radio.

    BEGIN QUOTE:

    I wrote:

    I really enjoyed the production work on the CD for the marriage amendment. It was first-rate stuff and as a Flash novice, made me a little bit envious. The copy that Tom Scheck gave me required an access code. Do all the CDs being mailed out come with an access code? If so, I'm curious as to why that is and wondering if the "votes" I'm asked to take during the presentation are reported back to the MN GOP? And, if so, are they matched to the access code and do you keep a record of what code is mailed to what person?

    Mark was kind enough to respond promptly:

    Thank you for the kind words regarding the high tech merits of the cd. Like any political survey done by the Party, it is our hope the cd will help us recruit more volunteers, provide valuable voter ID information and hopefully allow us to raise money so we can continue to send the cd out to more Minnesotans. On Friday, the cd will be released to the public. The cd's packaging will make clear that the cd is interactive in nature.

    A follow-up e-mail from me:

    So by interactive in nature, do you mean the results are being reported back to the GOP and, if so, are they identified by the access code?

    And a response:

    Yes- very similar process to if you got a free AOL cd at the grocery store.

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    zork% mv *.asp /bin/darkroom
    283 files eaten by a grue
  3. Re:Spyware? by JourneyExpertApe · · Score: 4, Interesting

    No. Spyware, by definition is something that collects information about you and sends it without you knowing it. Filling out a form in a program that you deliberately ran and having that same program send that information somewhere is not spying. What would be the purpose of filling out such a survey (into which you entered your name), if not to be sent somewhere so you can receive political junk mail (or "analog spam", as I like to call it)?

    Now, in my highschool government class (which was required for graduation), we had to take a "test" at the end that asked for our opinion on some key issues like welfare, taxes, and I forget what else. As I recall, this was to be sent elsewhere to be "evaluated". I always suspected that this information ended up on file with the state government so they could characterize everyone's political views. The difference is that the GOP software is optional.

    --
    If you can read this sig, you're too close.
  4. Re:Your tax forms by Kohath · · Score: 4, Funny

    The current trend is to justify ignoring Liberals by calling them "Anti-American" or "Traitors."

    Nope. That's just the pretend stuff for the wackos. Everyone knows the left isn't traitorous in general. They just put winning elections ahead of national security. It's ok, national security is still in your top 10 priorities. Maybe 8th.

    The current trend is to say you're not FOR anything and you have no ideas. And it'll work too, unless there's a bunch of good counter-examples. (Try saying you want to raise taxes again. It's the truth, and it worked so good the last time.)

    I think the left's priorities go like this:

    1. I hate Bush
    2. Money
    3. Win elections
    4. I hate corporations
    5. I hate religious people
    6. I hate the rich
    7. Make the earth feel our love
    8. Lookout for terrorists
    9. I hate SUV drivers
    10. I hate the military
    11. I hate smokers, fast food restuarants, cell phone talkers, wal-mart, oil companies, meat eaters, fur wearers, snowmobilers, farmers, managers, electricity generation, homeschoolers, zoos, etc., etc., etc.
    .
    .
    999. Are you going to eat that? (Yes? I hate you.)
    1000. Privacy.
    1001. I hate light pollution from the reflections off of orbiting satellites.

    and so on.