Bad data, even on paper [was Re: [LINK] NSW targets employers' email snooping]

[Jan Whitaker]

At 02:15 PM 1/04/04 +1000, Adam Todd wrote:
>It was signed, on the second last page by a solicitor with a disclaimer 
>and threat of legal action if the document was read by anyone else.
>
>So I'm suppose to do what?  Discard it before I read it?

The illogic of the whole situation is fascinating.  I received a financial 
document to my address but with another person's name from the US.  I also 
have accounts with the company.  Apparently they use a contract mailing 
service.  But the reports must be prepared by the company, because the 
address field is from their data, not the mailing company.

I wrote to my contact who sent it on to the head office.  They told her to 
tell me to post the papers back to them registered mail!  I said no way, 
but I would destroy them when they told me the problem was resolved and 
that MY info was not going astray.  They wrote back, apologising, sent me a 
keychain <sigh>.  This was over about a month.  The very next DAY I got 
another document meant for the other person posted to my address again.  I 
reported it again and haven't heard back since.

The points in this are:
- bad data can end up in very bad results [I had access to some pretty 
interesting financial info]
- because I was honest, I reported it, but I could easily have pursued an 
identity fraud by combining with other info about this person
- outsourced mailing services could be a problem IF the company really was 
using a secondary company to prepare and post financial services.
- it can happen with computerised paper outputs as well as electronic 
addressing.

Jan


JLWhitaker Associates
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at melbpc.org.au  --  http://member.melbpc.org.au/~jwhit/whitentr.htm
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