Plaxo and privacy

[tck]

I get inundated by Plaxo requests from colleagues (I'm a Florida Realtor).
Besides it getting on my nerves, I very much agree with "John Smith" - Plaxo
may promise the moon, but when they sell out to... (quelle horreur - MS
perhaps?), the first thing they'll do is chuck the privacy policy.

And Yahoo wasn't the only one, I remember vaguely an article in the NYT: an
online toy-store did the same thing. My memory may be getting worse, but
wasn't it John Lithgow in Cliffhanger: "So I lied. Sue me!"

-tobias.


on Wed, 7 Apr 2004 at 14:05, sw at shelton.org wrote:
> Subject: Re: [P1] Plaxo and privacy:
> 
> Plaxo looks like a safe and secure place to post your contacts online.
> I am sure their privacy statement (that I did not read) says that they
> will never publish or sell names stored with in their database.  Thats
> pretty much the standard song and dance.  Yahoo makes the same
> statements...
> 
> Oh, wait, but dont you remember when, one day Yahoo just decides they
> do not have enough revenue so they rewrote their privacy policy and
> made a hidden setting where EVERY yahoo user is now subscribed to
> "marketing mailings"?? (Its still there, log in to your Yahoo account
> and in your settings, look for "edit your marketing preferences").  Its
> been a while since I made a new account there so I do not remember if
> they are still turned on by default still.
> 
> Plaxo can make you all the promises and stick to them in good business
> faith.  What happens when Plaxo gets bought by someone else?  The
> privacy policy of eMail-Harvester Inc. says that they can sell any mail
> or email address they can get a hold of....
> 
> Personally, I would not do it but its just not a service that I am in
> need of.  Ask me to update the contact info and I will give you my
> 555-fone number and my 123 main street address.  I also would not
> become dependent on them making it the main place I housed all my
> contact's info but really I am that way with any data.  I don't keep
> stuff at the library...
> 
> Can't say that I am a big fan of me having to update some elses address
> book of my info... you are the one wanting to do this new thing, you
> update it.
> 
> If I were in your shoes, I would get some gel inserts...
> 
> Uber-paranoidly yours,
> John Smith
> 
> p.s. - I still think html email is a waste of time and cyber space
> p.p.s. - I think the black vans are starting to circle...
> 
> 
> On Apr 7, 2004, at 12:30 PM, Jim Shimozawa wrote:
> 
>> Anyone on this list know anything about this address book application?
>> 
>> This morning I got an e-mail from someone I'm doing business with
>> (first time) on eBay
>> asking me to update his address book with Plaxo.
>> Granted, expanding one's business network is a good thing, and you're
>> asked to give as much or little information about yourself. And I'm
>> told that
>> 
>> "Your information is stored in my personal address book and will not
>> be shared with anyone else".
>> 
>> Am I being overcautious?
>> What would you do if you were in my shoes?
>> 
>> Jim