Report: Gov't Agencies On All Levels Selling Personal Info To Marketing Companies

[paulitician]

Good ole Government. Always there to help ya.


Sales Of Public Data To Marketers Can Mean Big $$ For Governments

Roughly 60 percent of the mail we get can be classified as junk mail, but sometimes that flood of mail seems nonstop, and the pitches are often unsettlingly specific. This tends to happen particularly after major life events.

A CBS4 Investigation has uncovered that government agencies at all levels are selling personal information to marketing companies.

Eric Meer is a small business owner who works out of his home in Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood. Meer says he was deluged by direct mail after registering his small business with the Colorado Secretary of State. He says many of the ads he received were deceptive asking him to pay fees that he wasn’t required to pay.

Meer had a hunch the Secretary of State was selling his business information to marketing companies. CBS4 confirmed his hunch was right. Last year, the Secretary of State brought in $59,000 for business registration data.

“It feels like a betrayal,” Meer said. “Because our government is supposed to protect us, not to sell our information and profit from us.”

Spokesperson Andrew Cole confirms the Secretary of State sells business information for monetary amounts ranging from $200 to $12,000, depending on frequency and amount of information requested. But, Cole says the fees only cover the costs of running the databases...

Read More:
Sales Of Public Data To Marketers Can Mean Big $$ For Governments « CBS Denver
DRUDGE REPORT 2013®

 

[Katzndogz]

In this case where the company was registered with the secretary of state, it is probably not the government selling the information. Companies that are registered with a secretary of state are matters of public record and available from the state's website. Marketing companies monitor these websites all the time and sell mailing lists that they compile from the public records.

 

[paulitician]

In this case where the company was registered with the secretary of state, it is probably not the government selling the information. Companies that are registered with a secretary of state are matters of public record and available from the state's website. Marketing companies monitor these websites all the time and sell mailing lists that they compile from the public records.

Big Brother cares about you. He knows what's or best ya.