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Thread: sigh--should I pursue this or let it go?personal data on the web

  1. #11
    Senior Member kib's Avatar
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    ... I feel like identity theft is the latest fear mongering. I know it happens, quite often. Nevertheless, I'm tired of being told to be worried, focused on something other than what I'm actually trying to focus on, and pro-active doing and buying things that eat up my life energy. You may well be right about IL's situation. I was on the fence for a while but finally came down on the side of non-action. If anything, I'd say pursue it because once the seed of anxiety is sown, it never goes away.

  2. #12
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan View Post
    Generally it only takes 3 data points to narrow down a database of 350,000,000 people to one individual. Name, DOB and partial SS# being the most efficient.
    It's one thing to provide two of those three to a trusted individual or organization, it's quite another to have them present it to the world.
    I only need to get name, an address, and a date of birth when I am taking down patient info on a call, and that's sufficient for us to locate medical records, and for our billing agency to figure out how to extract funds from them if necessary. We don't even bother with SS or DL info or anything.

  3. #13
    Senior Member jp1's Avatar
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    And really, it should take IT guy roughly 30 seconds to take this down. Maybe IL should paraphrase Ronald Reagan, "IT guy, TAKE DOWN THAT FILE!"

  4. #14
    Simpleton Alan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
    I only need to get name, an address, and a date of birth when I am taking down patient info on a call, and that's sufficient for us to locate medical records, and for our billing agency to figure out how to extract funds from them if necessary. We don't even bother with SS or DL info or anything.
    Yes, it's even easier if you have access to the right database. My example references the average Joe with access to the internet, those three data points will lead you to a specific individual.
    "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein

  5. #15
    Senior Member kib's Avatar
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    But that's kinda my point. This stuff is already out there, about nearly all of us. Does chasing the muti-headed hydra actually matter any more?

  6. #16
    Senior Member jp1's Avatar
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    No, getting this one database offline won't be the final and ultimate solution in preventing IL from having an identity theft, but reducing one's exposure even just a little bit isn't a bad thing. Especially since it's something where she actually knows the person who can solve the issue, as opposed to trying to get some big faceless corporation to fix a problem like this.

  7. #17
    Williamsmith
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    . Find out the IT guys private information and post it on your Facebook......then send him a birthday card.

  8. #18
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    I'd want it down. Pester IT and Google:-)

  9. #19
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Update: after a month, still no resolution. The (former) IT guy did his best, but now my neighborhood organization no longer has control of that url and the President doesn't know who does have control. The President says he is working on it. His term of office is over in ten days. So, I'll have to follow up with someone else.

    Meanwhile, I randomly searched a couple of the email addresses of my neighbors to see if their date of birth data comes up at the top of a Google search. That provided some, err, interesting information from another site, a sex meetup site, that one of my neighbors participated in. Wish I could un-know this.
    Last edited by iris lilies; 10-8-15 at 4:06pm.

  10. #20
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Williamsmith View Post
    . Find out the IT guys private information and post it on your Facebook......then send him a birthday card.
    Well, the date of birth of this IT guy is ALSO on this same list. He had a bed in the community garden as well.

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