Thought you might be interested in this. Ted >>From: "Don Spidell" <dspidell@zekes.com> >>Date: Sun, 1 Nov 1998 06:54:37 -0700 >>Subject: [STATE-COORD-L] Fw: info >>To: STATE-COORD-L@rootsweb.com >> >>Verrry interesting! You might want to forward this to your own mailing >>lists. >> >>Don Spidell >> >>-----Original Message----- >>From: George Newbury <georgen@supercity.ns.ca> >>To: LUNEN-LINKS-L@rootsweb.com <LUNEN-LINKS-L@rootsweb.com> >>Date: Sunday, November 01, 1998 4:19 AM >>Subject: RE: info >> >> >>>i'm sending this info to both of you, not to the lists >>> LUNEN-LINKS & NOVA SCOTIA >>> >>>the contents of this message follows >>> >>> ---------------- >>> >>> >>>Subject: >>> [Moonrakers] Selling e-mail addresses buy using genealogy as a >>>front. >>> Date: >>> Sat, 31 Oct 1998 23:02:02 -0600 >>> From: >>> Tom Keyes <keyestl@execpc.com> >>> To: >>> Moonrakers <moonrakers@ultra.net.au> >>> >>> >>>Moonrakers: >>> >>>The following is from this weeks Eastman letter. >>> >>>- Genealogy Web Site Sells Your Name and E-mail Address >>> >>>It's a tough world. Lots of businesses sell their customer lists >>>these days. The result is that you get junk mail and marketing >>>phone calls from all sorts of companies trying to sell you >>>something you probably don't want. The newest twist is "spam >>>mail", unwanted e-mails that advertise all sorts of junk. Now a >>>well-known genealogy Web site is contributing to the spam mail >>>that you receive and apparently is profiting from personal >>>information that they obtain from you under the guise of helping >>>you do genealogy research. In fact, the Web site apparently is a >>>"front", as the main purpose seems to be gathering personal >>>information about you and then selling that information. >>> >>>The Family Tree House Web site at http://www.usaafter.com claims >>>that it is "the Association for FamilyTree Enrollment and >>>Registry." The home page says, "This site offers free family tree >>>software and links to key genealogy sites. The software is >>>available on-line. You can build your FamilyTree House in real >>>time, no downloading is required." >>> >>>They also say, "...you can create and register your own on-line >>>FamilyTree. And because it is on-line, you can enlist the help of >>>other family members by giving them your personal access code to >>>allow them to fill in the missing branches--it's a project the >>>whole family can participate in no matter where they live." On >>>another page the site advises, "When requesting information, >>>please make sure you include your name, mailing address and the >>>information you would like." >>> > >>>After they collect all the personal information from you and your >>>other family members, the owners of Family Tree House apparently >>>package the information and sell it to other companies that send >>>junk mail or spam e-mails. On a different Web site, the owners of >>>Family Tree House offer "a file of 33,600 last-12-month >>>registrants of the Family Tree House, an association that offers >>>Web site members free software and links to genealogy sites." The >>>file they sell reportedly contains information about each person's >>>date of birth, gender, e-mail address, state and ZIP code. The Web >>>advertisement says that the file contains listings for 33,600 >>>people who have left personal information on the Family Tree House >>>site. >>> >>>To check for yourself, first look at http://www.usaafter.com and >>>then look at: >>>http://www.mediacentral.com/Magazines/DirectNewsline/Archive/1998100910.htm >>> >>>Cheers, Tom >>>