JUNK MAIL PUBLICATION, DM NEWS, SAYS “INDUSTRY NEEDS TO ACT – NOW”

DM News started up several years ago when I was flying high as a list broker selling your names and personal data, and making a lot of money. It quickly took over as the “must read” publication, if you wanted the straight scoop and inside story. They have pretty much lived up to that reputation, and a recent article by Mickey Alam Khan, “The direct marketing industry needs to act – now,” follows the pattern of giving readers both sides of the picture. The “picture” here is that the junk mail business has failed pitifully to police itself, and face up to the fact that the only solution is to give consumers control over their sensitive data. Khan mentions the May 20, article in the New York Times about InfoUSA list subsidiary, Walter Karl, and how some elderly Americans lost money to illicit telemarketers who bought their data from WK (covered above), as the latest incident. And then the New York Times reports how Presidential candidate, Barack Obama singled out InfoUSA as “deserving scrutiny.” Have we finally gotten the attention of someone who could do something about the identity crisis? I wrote Obama with my ideas on individual control, and received the normal “canned” answers. If I hear anything substantive, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, Stormy Dean, InfoUSA’s CFO, says if the company was breaking any laws the Federal Trade commission would be investigating them. Looks like they spoke too soon, as the FTC said recently it might open an investigation of InfoUSA.