Posted on 09/20/2008 3:38:56 PM PDT by Winged Hussar
Most people don't want their home addresses and phone numbers given to total strangers, but Barack Obama's "Neighbor to Neighbor" program seems to do exactly this. In addition, it has been alleged that the Obama campaign is giving out people's voter ID numbers as well as their home phone numbers. Barackobama.com says openly, meanwhile, that it gives donors' personal information to other organizations.
Neighbor to Neighbor: Reach Out to Voters in your Community says openly that the Obama campaign gives out people's private information to total strangers--anyone who signs up can get personal contact information for dozens of neighbors.
When you log in you'll see that we’ve prepared all the resources that you need, including:
* A list of voters in your neighborhood who we need to reach out to
...Obama is talking out of both sides of his mouth or, as Native Americans might put it, "he speaks with forked tongue." In one sentence, his campaign says it does not make personal information available to anybody but employees, staff, and agents. In the next, Barackobama.com says it gives your personal information, including presumably home address, phone number, and E-mail to "organizations with similar political viewpoints and objectives." We do not know what, if anything, prevents those organizations from giving or selling your name, home address, phone number, and E-mail address to junk mailers, telemarketers, and/or spammers. We don't know if the Obama campaign knows either, or if it cares.
(Excerpt) Read more at husaria.wordpress.com ...
(As owner of the material, I am entitled to give permission to copy it.)
People are very concerned about online privacy and, if they conclude that Barackobama.com is not a safe place to give their personal information, it will impact Obama's fundraising and get-out-the-vote efforts during the home stretch.
Seems to me, after reading this, that our information isn’t safe down at the county election office! Forget Obama.
He is telling his followers, not how to contact others of his followers, but how to find neighbors who need “convincing” that he is the change we need! He is telling his followers to find independents and Republicans in their neighborhoods, to argue with and to get in their faces!
He has gotten voter information and computerised it all. He has all our information! That is very scary.
Um........four years ago I volunteered to help the Bush campaign and the first thing they did was send me a list of registered Republicans, with phone numbers, in my neighborhood so that I could call them and remind them to vote.
I think this is SOP and not a story.
I did the same thing.
I compiled a database of voters for walking lists for volunteers and I bought the data from the county clerk.
It’s public info...
Ed
I had forgotten that you can buy the voter list. I did it when I ran for city council, but I think you have to either be a candidate or somehow connected with one. I don’t remember what the requirement was, but it wasn’t difficult at all to obtain the list. The list had addresses and phone numbers.
I was trying to research this online as I know personal info is protected in most cases under privacy laws. However, based on what I’ve found so far, some of our voting info may not be (scarey thought). If any of our FReeper FRiends are attorneys that specialize in and/or are familiar w Privacy law, they would be best able to comment.
Here’s one article:
Voter Profiling
The government compels citizens to divulge certain information before participating in democratic processes. For instance, for purposes of voting registration, citizens have to provide their identity and address. Some districts also collect information on party affiliation. If a citizen donates over $200 to a candidate or political party, the citizen must provide name, address, and employment information under federal fundraising rules. This information is often in the public record, and may not be protected by use limitations or other Fair Information Practices.
This personal information often is used to build complex profiles of citizens and their likely voting behaviors. Aristotle, a company that creates voter profiling software, sells databases of voter information that includes name, address, phone number, donation history, and party affiliation. The company also sells tools to track voter correspondence with elected officials.
Privacy and Online Politics: Is Online Profiling Doing More Harm Than Good for Citizens in Our Political System, Center for Democracy and Technology.
Aristotle, voter profiling company.
Botched Name Purge Denied Some the Right to Vote, Washington Post, May 31, 2001.
http://epic.org/privacy/publicrecords/
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It appears that one can purchase a registered voter list and/or contributor lists here:
http://www.registeredvoterlists.com/home.html
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Stefan from Sound Politics did a yeoman’s job investigating the 2004 Election and fraud in WA State. This came up on my search and was on his web site:
July 07, 2006
Viewer Mail
Every once in a while I receive an e-mail like the one I just received from a guy named Tim at Boeing.
Subject: Unlawful release of PII
To whom it may concern,
I was shocked to find out that my birthdate and name is available for any individual or identify theft crook. According to your website , this info was made public by the state.
I would like to inform you that I never authorized this information to be released. This is an error that state made and you should not participate or perpetuate this error unless you plan to be an unlawful willing party to releasing confidential information.
Please remove my information from the data you make public. I never approved my birthdate being released to the general public.
Your prompt attention to this matter is appreciated.
Well, Tim, I’m giving this matter my prompt attention. Please read RCW 29A.08.710 (2) —
The following information contained in voter registration records or files regarding a voter or a group of voters is available for public inspection and copying, except as provided in RCW 40.24.060: The voter’s name, address, political jurisdiction, gender, date of birth, voting record, date of registration, and registration number.
Thank you for your letter, Tim, and please write again soon. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at July 07, 2006 04:18 PM |
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I also found the following. I guess I’m missing something - why would someone need to go online and have a 3rd party prepare their voter registration form for them?
http://www.iwanttovote.com/index.cfm?source=overture
FWIW, one of Barack’s site came up in my search, but not McCain’s. I clicked on their privacy policy (which I don’t think most people read) and here’s some of what’s included:
Collection and disclosure of information:
The Federal Election Commission requires us to collect certain information from every donor who gives money to us. For these reasons, we collect some information that can be directly associated with a specific person. We call this “Personal Information,” and it includes, by way of illustration, names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.
We collect Personal Information from donors and other eligible individuals who affirmatively request to receive e-mail or other services from us. We collect this Personal Information in order to provide these eligible individuals with timely information via e-mail regarding political events, resources and issues. We also collect Personal Information from those who make online contributions to the campaign, in order to process and report the contributions.
It is our general policy not to make Personal Information available to anyone other than our employees, staff, and agents. We may also make personal information available to organizations with similar political viewpoints and objectives, in furtherance of our own political objectives.
Online petitions and Personal Information:
We treat your name, city, state, and any comments as public information. We may, for example, provide compilations of petitions, with your comments, to national leaders, without disclosing email addresses. We may also make comments along with your city and state available to the press and public online.
http://www.barackobama.com/privacypolicy/
Obama bats reached out to touch my yards signs,,,, and took them. In fact they took my neighbors too....
Yeah, so did ours...phone numbers, registration, everything.
I had to show her that I was volunteer for the GOP and she sold it to me.
Did you win the race for city council?
Ed
My first job in Los Angeles years ago was going around to all the city halls in the LA area and xeroxing the sign in sheets of all voters who voted in that particular election. Lists then are made and sold to vendors. It’s totally legit. The selling of lists is why we get all the crap junk mail everyday.
It does NOT give out addresses, but it does give voter ID numbers. If given a name and phone number, an address is easy to find.
I've volunteered to phone bank and was given that information IN the campaign office, and it was collected before I left.
Color me skeptical.
Okay, but remember, All privacy laws ONLY pertain to Democrats—or terrorist! Really. No other person will be charged, only if you are a democrat or islamic terrorist and your information has been exposed—or your email and phone calls monitered.
Republicans are fair game. Proof is in the hacking of Sarah’s email by Democratic Obama supporters.
How much did Obama know about this hacking, and when did he know it?
Rumors have it they’re settung up “community organizers” all around the country. A new, nationwide, Marxist organization.
I worked for the Bush campaign twice and did indeed make calls but the list of names and numbers was carefully collected before I left. I was never allowed names or number to take home.
Barry O.H. Obama is using ignorant students to register uninformed voters, especially students on campuses, throughout the country.
Well, this is one where I don’t have to rely much on my memory because I live in Oakland, California and in this part of the country the Republican Party doesn’t even have phone banks. I did all the calling from my own home. The list came in the mail and I mailed it back when I finished. I never so much as met any of the people from party headquarters.
Amazing..not in NC the list stays in the office.
I had never been involved in politics until we moved to this small mountain resort. By chance, I met the mayor and after a lengthy conversation, he suggested that I run for one of the 3 seats up for grabs. A group of “good ol’ boys” ran against a field of 13 including me. I came in second to the 3 “good ol’ boys”. Not bad since I was new...sure met a lot of people in a hurry, and it led to being asked to join a committee of about 15 to rewrite the city’s general plan for the next 25 years which was very interesting...but too long a story here!
Oh, too bad you lost, but 2nd place outta 13 isn’t bad.
What “small mountain resort” do you live in?
I’ve lived in lots of nice places, having worked in King’s Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, as a Forest Ranger in Moose Pass, Alaska, and as a logger in North Idaho, and currently I live in Grants Pass, Oregon, a nice little town in the mountains of Southern Oregon.
I ran for “office” twice and won, but the job was very minor, being a GOP Precinct Committee member.
The only thing we ever did of import was appoint Bob Smith to take over Wes Cooley’s seat after he was forced to resign for lying about his service background.
See ya’,
Ed
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