[LINK] Internet Monitoring -- e-Trends

[richard@auscoms.com.au]

Now here's a laugh...

I couldn't remember whether e-trends had broken the ADMA code of practice by
quizzing a 14-year-old like that. So I went to the ADMA site to check
(http://www.adma.com.au).

The site has a link putatively to provide consumer information. When you hover
over that link, it says:
"Consumers can have their name and contact details removed from marketing lists
held by ADMA members and get answers to frequently asked questions about direct
marketing"

Except you can't follow the link without providing your user name and
password... well, E-trends' behaviour might be legal, but it's also pretty
shabby. And having looked at the company's site and technology -- it's an agent
that reports your browsing behaviour back to head office for analysis -- I'd not
be as relaxed as you, Julie. Somebody capable of behaving badly when they're in
Kent Street is no more trustworthy in George Street...

Richard

____________________Reply Separator____________________
Subject:    [LINK] Internet Monitoring -- e-Trends
Author: "Julie Johnson" <j.johnson@cowan.edu.au>
Date:       21/06/00 11:52

Linkers,

Yesterday my 14 yesr old son a letter soliciting him to sign up our household to
an Internet usage monitoring scheme belonging to an outft called e-Trends
www.e-trneds.com.au.

Apparently he had earlier answered questions from a telephone canvasser.

He was keen to sign up because there was a free gift on offer.  If I hadn't been
present when he opened the letter he could have signed us up without my
knowledge.

While. I'm reasonably relaxed about paricipating in such a scheme, I do object
to people soliciting personal information from a minor over the phone and I'm
hopping mad that they are sending out insturctions as to how to register my
Internet account to a person who is not the holder of that account.

Julie Johnson

___________________________________
Julie Johnson
Undergraduate Programmes Coordinator
School of Computer and Information Science
Edith Cowan University
2 Bradford Street
Mount Lawley WA 6050
AUSTRALIA

Voice: 61 8 9370 6570
Fax: 61 8 9370 6100
Email: j.johnson@cowan.edu.au