What's In Your Dangan?

People are, on a daily basis, being asked to give out information about themselves: name, address, telephone number, social security number, number of people living in their home, number of children, ages of residents ... even going so far as to ask questions about sexual behavior and health behavior.

By and large, people have been conditioned to give out this information for the askance, believing such is justified in the name of security ... improvement ... whatever.

In soliciting this information, people are told that it is "anonymous" or "confidential." Such, quite obviously, is not true. And people who balk generally fall for the line "well, if you have nothing to hide ... "

The following e-mail arrived, unsolicited, in my in-box on March 13, 2003.

From: Absolute Background Search

Subject: Do You Perform Background Checks?

Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2003 15:25:08 -0000

X-MSMail-Priority: Normal

X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000

I would like to forward some information to the right person.

Our company does background screening. We would like to offer our services to your organization with NO SETUP or MONTHLY FEE.

Criminal Records

Credit Reports

Motor Vehicle

Workers Comp

Drug Testing (New Oral Fluid Test Available)

Nationwide Criminal Warrants Search

& Over 30 other Searches

All Online and Nationwide (www.AbsoluteBackgroundSearch.com)

Why Absolute Background Search?

Our Single Item and Package Pricing are the BEST IN THE INDUSTRY

Over 38 States with Instant Criminal History Returns

Instant Driving Histories

All other searches average less than 24hrs Turnaround

$11 per Statewide Criminal History

We do not use old data--All of your results are THE MOST ACCURATE & UP to DATE AVAILABLE in the industry.

If you could direct me to the correct person so that I might email or send some information, I would greatly appreciate it.

If you would like immediate delivery of our Pricing List via Email click the following link and send the message. No typing is necessary.

PriceList@absolutebackgroundsearch.com

Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Michael S. Cooley

Absolute Background Search

Your One Stop Background Solution

mcooley@absolutebackgroundsearch.com

888-254-2957 ext 84

Still think all that information you are being asked to give and are giving is in your best interests?

I recently watched an episode of "The District" in which the mayor told his people that security cameras watching everyone was going to happen, like it or lump it. The chief of police protested but the mayor refused to listen to his objections. So the chief came up with the bright idea of watching the mayor on those security cameras. He then invited the mayor to his office and proceeded to show the major all the information he, the chief of police, had gathered on the mayor's movements, asking the mayor who would interpret the actions of the mayor and for what purpose. The mayor suddenly decided the security cameras watching everyone wasn't such a great idea after all, especially when the cameras showed him hugging and kissing a woman half his age who wasn't his wife. The mayor suddenly found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to justify his every move. He didn't appreciate it.

The moral of the story is that while all that information might be helpful to someone, that someone won't be you. As more than adequately demonstrated by the above referenced episode of "The District," it is all in how that information is interpreted and by whom. Something that is quite innocent could be deemed otherwise by a zealous "interpreter" eager to please, eager to be promoted, eager to make his mark in the history books. When you place this kind of information in the hands of people, who are fallible to their very core, no one is safe.

It is not wise or prudent to give personally identifiable information to anyone, no matter what they claim in soliciting it.

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