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| Photo courtesy Pat Pllon |
Back in the day we used to have a landline phone (not this one)
And every so often to the point of irritation we would get debt collector's calls for people who had our phone number before and apparently had created a huge mountain of debt.
We started out politely stating to these callers that they got the wrong number and ask to be removed from the list. They said they would and the calls ceased. For about as long as a cat stayed off the kitchen counter.
The problem is these debt companies would buy a list of names who owed money, go through the list and when they couldn’t wrangle more money, they would sell the list to another debt company and we would start getting calls again. So good riddance to the landline.
Big Data and selling of people’s information can be put in the same barrel as bill collectors that pass along lists down the debtors’ line. But it only works if people are willing to let go of their privacy to get something in return.
Whether it’s good or services, we are willing to give up vital information about ourselves to get a new credit card, free concert tickets, sign up for NetFlix or trying to get certified as a Woman’s Owned Business (But that is a whole other ranting blog post.) But we all do it.
We have let go of our privacy and hope that when we do, our confidential information is not being sold or worse, falling into dubious hands. Unfortunately, it is on both counts.
So my recommendation is to pay cash for everything and if that’s not possible, is it really worth buying? And get a library card. And if temptation is still too great, a Time Machine will do the trick. Just fill out this here form and it’s yours.
Debbie
Wallis and her husband Robert, are owners of AXbean, a guiding light to
all things Microsoft Access and Excel. They reside in the central
valley area of Sacramento, California between agriculture and government
central. When not working, you can see them running about outside,
exploring shops, chowing down at all kinds of eateries and whenever
possible, being more curious than a cat. Find out more at AXbean.com. Labels: data, information, privacy
