In the comments section at Far and Wide, a couple of people have shared that the Conservative Party seems to have information on them that they have never knowingly surrendered.
If this has happened to you, can you please detail it the comments section?
22 comments:
knb,
Which post at Far and Wide? Can you link to it, please?
Ooops, sorry. I've now linked to it in the main body of the post.
Thanks! :)
This is truly bizarre. You should consider compiling your accounts and sending them to the privacy commissioner with copies to Walkom at TorStar.
Why Walkom MoS?
My plan indeed was to compile it and forward it.
Why Walkom?
...because he's arguably the most passionately anti-CPC journalist in the country and would love to get his hands on such a story.
As requested KNB:
I've, today, March 4th, receive the 5th ten percenter from my local Con MP.
In a bad mood, I phoned a left a message on the answering machine stating my anger about it.
Just received a call - a 613 Ottawa area code call - responding to my call.
Here's the spooky part - I did not leave a name and number. If they have call display, okay, BUT the guy asked for me by my "nickname/shorter version of my name". I'm listed in the phone book under my initials.
How the hell did he know my name when only my initials are listed - my shorter version of my name in fact.
Spooky.
Closing remarks, he said they will continue to send them, whereupon I said - you don't care how you spend MY taxpayer dollars and hung up.
Again, how did he know the short version of my name that friends and family call me?
Any of your readers receiving these ten percenters in rapid numbers like this?
Last time Harper did this - he called an election.
12:45 PM, March 04, 2009
KNB - I'm still wondering how they knew my name - the name friends and family call me. I didn't think quick enough to ask.
Gives me the creeps.
I think Harper's readying to call an election.
Just before the last one - we got oodles of these ten percenters - remember the guys with the hoodies and all?
Thanks Sandi.
Can you think of anything you would have signed up for, an association, the local drug store, a department store or I guess in your case, something a little more intimate...some local group where your nick might be referred to?
I'm trying to go through in my mind how lists are sold and how info is cross referenced.
It is creepy to be sure.
Thanks too to Sir Francis.
sjw, I hope you don't mind, but I've imported your comment here:
sjw said...
How the hell did he know my name when only my..
Last month I sent an email to my newly minted Conservative MP. After receiving no reply, I telephoned his office to enquire about response times. The next day I received an email asking if I could "Kindly forward the e-mail from on or about February 6th". Apparently they had lost the original. The problem was/is they made the request to a different email account from the one I had initially used for my correspondence. When I emailed them the next day to ask how they obtained this particular address their short response was: "I asked our Ottawa office. Thank you." Now, I have never used this e-address to mail any political party, let alone the CPC. How did they get this address? I am angry about this, but have not decided what, if anything I should do about it. Anyone know how they may have obtained this address?
(If this is a problem, let me know and I'll get rid of it.)
I'd ask the same question of you that I asked ruralsandi in terms of where you may have used this e-mail.
The Cons have a great database and will do extensive data-mining - all parties do it but the Cons are masters at it.
As for personal information, it's easy to buy information from various sources and be able to amalgamate it. In the end, you have a rather complete profile... I wish humans were not so predictable but apparently we are...
I don't know - I've never been to our constituency office - maybe someone I know works there...shudder.
I live in a small town. Funny though, I phone the local office (905 area code) but got a call from Ottawa.
I did email them once a couple of years ago, but have a totally different email address now with a different provider.
Sandi,
Just a thought but have you joined en famille & if so do you use that shorter name of yours there?
I'm sure they are careful but the Cons seems to have a way of getting in where they shouldn't.
Sandi, I don't mean that you would have given information directly to the Conservatives. As c_wtf said, they have an incredible data base and they buy and rent lists.
It's legitimate business and a huge one in this country.
What I was trying to determine is the source of your information. For instance, I have given info at a couple of stores I like so they can alert me of specials etc. Some clubs and groups ask for that info when you join too. If that group has not stipulated that they won't sell their membership list in their privacy agreement, then the Conservatives could have bought your info.
Now, that they had your nickname is just weird, unless there is someplace outside of family that you use it. Or, if someone in your family would have occasion to list it somewhere and it could be cross referenced to your phone number.
It's amazing just how much info is out there about all of us.
penlan, I don't think that even the Conservatives would dare infiltrate that data base.
They really do have quite an extensive data base of their own and I'm sure they have acquired it legally. Selling and renting lists in this country is huge business, as distasteful as it may seem.
What's impressive, (depending which end of the list you are on), is the software that does the sorting and cross- referencing of that information.
knb,
I would hope you're right that the Cons wouldn't infiltrate that database but I wouldn't put it past them. They are, after all, sneaky, conniving, do-anything-for-a-vote creeps. Plus get as much info on as many people in Canada as they can, for whatever nefarious purposes.
You're right too that there is such a lot of info out there on all of us in so many different areas & through different institutions & people.
I don't mind at all. As a matter of fact, you didn't need to ask my permission.
I am absolutely certain I never used this particular email address in regards to anything Conservative Party of Canada.
I have yet to respond to their "I asked our Ottawa office" comment, but I will tonight and I'll let you know what they say.
OT -- I seldom come to your blog anymore as it opens and runs very, very slowly for me. I don't know why, but I wonder if it is because you have like a thousand posts on your main page. ;-)
sjw...Thank you. I had no idea. I've tried to fix that so I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know if there is a difference now.
Working much better now. Cheers.
Ha! I just received a reply from my MPs office regarding my email address. Apparently the individual who informed me she obtained my email address from their Ottawa office is no longer available on Thursdays and Fridays and will be out of the office "all of next week as she has family business to attend to". Says this person, "I'm not sure what the email problem is in regards to".
The plot thickens..
Apparently the individual who informed me she obtained my email address from their Ottawa office is no longer available on Thursdays and Fridays and will be out of the office "all of next week...
Next week, you'll hear that she's just embarked on a NASA mission to study Saturn's rings.
Well, I suppose if what has happened here is the scenario cwtf proposes, then it is a plot that doesn't demand much thickening. Still, I am not very happy about the situation.
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