[P1] Plaxo and privacy

[Scott Warren]

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
>
>
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