Voter Privacy for Sale
Saturday, July 31st, 2004A deceptively friendly knock came to my door today. I heard a “dah, dah-dah-dah, dah … dah, dah”.
I was greeted by a canvasser, a member of America Coming Together (ACT). Apparently Ohio is a “battleground state”. Traditionally, a canvasser would simply ask how I intend to vote in the election or what issues are important to me. This one subjected me to an advertisement played on his Palm Tungsten through the screen door. Uh, I do have a television set — why are you here? Then he asks me, “Do you know anyone who lost their job last year?” Oh, I see where this is going. Instead of telling him that I feel outsourcing is part of a free market that will lead to a better global economy, that Americans will find jobs that demand more creativity, and that India will soon be outsourced by China, I politely played along.
As I was dismissing him, he blurted out, “Is your wife Jennifer at home?” I stopped and was immediately suspicious. I ask, “How did you know my wife’s name?” He replied gleefully, “she’s a registered Republican.”
Quick sidebox: I go through reasonable measures to guard my privacy. I pay extra to have my name unlisted in the phone book and my caller-ID blocked. I send in all the privacy opt-out forms so my information isn’t shared. I give out only my cell number, which is turned off when it’s not appropriate to call me, and is illegal for telemarketers to call. I once successfully argued with the phone company that they don’t need my SSN, because they don’t.
So how did some political volunteer get personal information about me and my wife? It turns out that information is for sale. Yep, when you register to vote in Ohio, you give them your name, address, birthdate, city/state of birth, social security number, and phone number. This information is sold to information brokers, who consolidate and cross reference with other information to build profiles on people. For example, Aristotle sells these lists to anyone who will pay using their website. How convenient!
Most organizations have a privacy statement now. When I gave my information at the BMV, they had a statement saying they would not share my information with anyone. Is there a privacy statement when you register to vote? Nope! The irony is, my information is protected by the BMV until I answer “yes” to the question, “Would you like to register to vote?”
Why is this a big deal? Because information is power, and it can be abused. Politicians may think it’s great to know the marital status, income level, race and even religious affiliation of voters they want to target for their campaign messages. But think of other ways you can target people, including hate crimes and identity theft.