1) If you simply move to another provider, you have no leverage with Ameritrade to get them to fix the problem. Since you can assume other, more sensitive information was dissemintaed as well, your highest priority should be to get the problem resolved. The longer you remain a customer, the more incriminating evidence you can gather and the more pressure you can exert on Ameritrade (especially if you know what you're doing). I have a ton.
2) Take the issue public: I'm sure Ameritrade does not want this issue made public, but are they hurting enough to take the steps necessary to correct the problem? The answer is obviously 'No' since I first reported this to them over a year ago and every email address I have given them up to two weeks ago hasd been compromised. If I were to guess, the issue will require strict controls on the email addresses at Ameritrade (access restrictions and parter terminations). That could cost Ameritrade quite a bit of money to implement. A few people moving to a different account is not going to hurt them enough to make changes. A large reduction of new customer resulting from the bad press would be.
3) I fight spam for a living and I think the people responsible for selling information to organized crime should be sitting in jail. I would like to do everything I can to help them find their way. The longer I remain a customer and gather information, the more likely it is that I can get my way.
Are the options really turned on, or are they just checked by default? This is a pretty standard procedure. On many sites, I have to turn this off every time I make a change. I suspect that this is what M$ is doing.
I don't like M$ any more that the next Linux guy, but I think the author is incorrect in assuming that just because boxes are checked when you go to a page means that the database actually contains those values.
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There are several reasons not to do this.
1) If you simply move to another provider, you have no leverage with Ameritrade to get them to fix the problem. Since you can assume other, more sensitive information was dissemintaed as well, your highest priority should be to get the problem resolved. The longer you remain a customer, the more incriminating evidence you can gather and the more pressure you can exert on Ameritrade (especially if you know what you're doing). I have a ton.
2) Take the issue public: I'm sure Ameritrade does not want this issue made public, but are they hurting enough to take the steps necessary to correct the problem? The answer is obviously 'No' since I first reported this to them over a year ago and every email address I have given them up to two weeks ago hasd been compromised. If I were to guess, the issue will require strict controls on the email addresses at Ameritrade (access restrictions and parter terminations). That could cost Ameritrade quite a bit of money to implement. A few people moving to a different account is not going to hurt them enough to make changes. A large reduction of new customer resulting from the bad press would be.
3) I fight spam for a living and I think the people responsible for selling information to organized crime should be sitting in jail. I would like to do everything I can to help them find their way. The longer I remain a customer and gather information, the more likely it is that I can get my way.
In my case, I was using a catch-all so I had exactly 'infinite' controls. Still they followed my random email address at least 5 times.
Are the options really turned on, or are they just checked by default? This is a pretty standard procedure. On many sites, I have to turn this off every time I make a change. I suspect that this is what M$ is doing. I don't like M$ any more that the next Linux guy, but I think the author is incorrect in assuming that just because boxes are checked when you go to a page means that the database actually contains those values.