The Surveilled American: "The U.S. In a Digital Terror" By Howard L. Meyer, Esq.

A day in the life of the ordinary American citizen is greatly different from that of a citizen of any other nation. From the moment he arises till the moment he retires, he is the subject of constant computer-driven surveillance. The data that is gathered about him each day is often freely available to the government, to the police and to those who seek to sell the information or its access to others.

When he awakens he goes to his bathroom where his toothpaste and other bathroom items purchased with his credit card fill the counter top. The details of each purchase have been recorded in the drugstore computer and are now traceable to him.1 This is true of other pharmacy items in his cabinet such as birth control devices, generic medicines for impotence, and antidepressants. Whatever ailments he or his family suffers from have been captured and duly noted by the computer.

In his file at the druggist is listed the family's prescription medicines from which their health may be deduced.2 Of course there is the medical record kept by his physician and hospital that reveals all of this information in detail.3 The only federal law that forbids dissemination of this type of information relates to AIDS.4 Individual states have varying statutes regulating the disclosure of medical information, but there is little consensus among them. 5

If his employer pays for his medical insurance then it will receive copies of all medical reports relating to him and his family. When he goes for his physical exam for life insurance, the doctor will have access to all this data including: his DNA, available from any routine blood test; the cause of death of relatives, gained from his medical history; and all other details of his personal history that then become available to the Insurance Company.6

From the bathroom our subject proceeds to his computer where he checks his e-mail. By the time it reaches him, his e-mail has been through a half dozen machines and has been subject to being read by many. If he is using an Internet Service Provider (ISP) supplied by his employer, then all matters will be accessible to the Company.7

His call to the ISP will be recorded in a number of places; the cache in his computer will have it and the ISP records will have it. The fact that he made a call to that number will be recorded in the telephone company's records showing the number called and the time and length of the call.

If, when on-line, he accesses the World Wide Web (WWW), each site he visits will be recorded in his own computer, in the ISP's computer and in the site visited.8 Thus if he accesses "Bunnies for Hire" he may get surface mail offering him subscriptions to racy magazines or he may get mail from other providers of like services who have been sold his address and his supposed predilections. If he accesses sites with child pornography he is likely to get a visit from the FBI or the local police.9

He walks into the living room and rewinds one of the videos of his baby-sitter's activities, which were taped last night by his hidden video cameras. A quick look at the tape shows no boyfriends or child abuse so he puts the tape away until the weekend when he will have more time to study it. He then opens a newly arrived package, which contains a listening device, the size of a cigarette package that magnifies sound 10 times. With it he can hear a whisper 50 feet away, his neighbors' arguments or the goings on in the next motel room. He ordered this item for $ 40 from an advertisement in the New York Times.

He sits down to breakfast, all purchased with a credit card and his tastes recorded. His breakfast is not tranquil, for his 13-year-old daughter tells him of her school troubles. It seems that the "narc dog" at her school sniffed out her locker, which was immediately opened by the authorities. A trace amount of marijuana was found. Also, the video camera in the girls' locker room showed she and her friends smoking some substance while changing their clothes after gym class. They thought they were safe from prying eyes. Not so. Under Federal law, the privacy of educational records is protected and the contents cannot be freely revealed. But the school security force - the campus law enforcement team -- installed the camera in the girls' locker room. Records created by an educational institution for the purpose of law enforcement are exempted from the definition of "educational records" and are therefore not protected.10 This transgression will likely haunt his daughter for years to come.

His daughter's predicament is very painful to him. For his son was recently convicted of a drug offense and must now wear an "anklet" which records his presence. The son is allowed to go to school but must go directly home afterwards and stay there. Further, his probation officer stops at all hours of the day and night to take urine, breath and hair samples to check for use of alcohol, "pot" (stays in the urine about 72 hours) and cocaine (stays in the hair indefinitely). To protest this would mean that his son would serve his time in prison, rather than on probation, so he says nothing. His son is required to pay for all the extra expense from electronic monitoring and he must also pay for drug "counseling" from an otherwise unemployed psychologist. If caught as an underage smoker, the lad is liable to have his driver's license taken away; similarly, if dad doesn't pay child support and maintenance to his first wife, he is liable to lose his driver's license as well.11

The manner in which his son was "caught" is worthy of comment. The police had absolutely no proof of any drug activity of the boy himself, but some of the boy's friends were known to be druggies. The cops approached the situation the old easy way. They went to his girlfriend's house and asked her where he was. The girlfriend knew he was at a friend's house, but she told the police nothing. After the police left, she called the friend's house and told her boyfriend that the cops were looking for him. Of course, the phone was tapped and the girl did exactly as predicted.12

She told them she didn't know where he was - she lied. It is a crime to give misinformation to a Federal officer during an investigation, and that is precisely what she did.13 The police cut a deal with the lad: if he would plead guilty to possession of a small amount of the drug, his girlfriend would not be prosecuted for obstruction.

In many ways, the FBI has taken a lesson from the Spanish Inquisition. From the Inquisitor, the FBI learned that sometimes the mere showing of the instruments of torture is enough to extract a confession; and that a non-related charge can be neatly attached to the main one. If the main theme wasn't sufficiently convincing at court, one could always get a conviction on the lesser charge. The criminal's punishment would be reduced. There would be no burning at the stake, but the State could claim victory nonetheless.

The FBI is not alone in their assault on privacy. In 1996 Congress (unnoticed) passed a bill which, under the guise of locating dads who fail to pay their alimony and child support, requires every employer to report the names, addresses and social security numbers of new hires to a central Government computer.14 There are roughly 60 million new hires each year in the U.S. This new hire reporting mandate may amount to the "Mother of All Databases," the "Kali"15 of Americans' cherished anonymity. For we have never had such a wide-reaching central registry of our citizens before.

On the way out the door, he stoops to pet his prizewinning golden retriever. The showdog has had a microchip implanted between its shoulder blades which has a unique identification number programmed into it. If the dog is ever lost or stolen he can be easily traced.16 This family is very fond of animals. They also own a racehorse and three rare Siamese cats -- and each of them has an implant.

His children too, are traceable. The children have had their footprints on file since birth for purposes of later identification. But footprints can change over time, so nowadays children have a blood sample taken in the delivery room, which is DNA analyzed.17 This information goes into a permanent file and is available to authorities from then on for whatever purposes are appropriate.

He goes to his garage and gets in his car. When he purchased the car, the model, make and other particulars were recorded in a registration database, which is freely accessible to anyone. The amount of money he owes on the car is kept in another database. His driving convictions are stored in yet another database, which is supposed to be available only to the police, but in fact it is quite easy to get into.18

Since he is not under investigation, his car has no global positioning device planted on it to record his whereabouts. Nor are there any tiny "bugs" installed to record his conversations. Some brands of new cars have global positioning units built right into them so that they will be traceable if the car is stolen.19 The units also record the location and history of the auto and whether the driver was speeding or not; this could be of interest to the authorities or his insurance carrier. The co-workers he picked up to give a ride to work were not wearing a "wire' installed by the police nor one they chose to wear themselves. They might have been wearing a wire if he were the subject of an investigation; or if his riders were in criminal difficulties themselves and they suspected that he might say something to incriminate himself. For this type of information could be traded to the authorities in exchange for lenient treatment.20

On the way to work he passes through a tollgate where his car and license plate are videotaped. The time of his passage, the type of vehicle he's driving, and the toll he pays are recorded. If he used the Pass system the process would go even faster.21

He stops at a mall to withdraw money from his bank and is recorded on four separate video cameras. When his car enters the parking lot a video records it. When he walks into the mall, a security camera picks him up. When he enters the bank its security video follows him. If he uses the bank's bathroom, his activities there may be recorded as well -- all in the name of "security". Any credit card purchases he makes while in the mall will leave a detailed record of the purchase, time and date. His steps and whereabouts can be easily retraced should the need arise.

He proceeds to work where his entry into the parking lot and building are recorded. His workplace has abolished the time clock so he need not "punch in". However they do have a strict drug policy so the employees are subject to random urine tests.22

When he was hired, his employer did the usual computer search on him. They looked for his birth record from the local town hall database. They searched his credit record to view the payment record of his bills and mortgage. They looked for any judgments or tax liens against him. They looked for evidence of money borrowed against any of his personal property. They looked for any lawsuits that may be pending against him or those brought by him against others. They looked at the assessed value of his house and the amount he owed on his mortgage. They did a newspaper search, which might show the birth of his children, his matrimonial litigation, and his drunken driving charges, accusations of any crime, and anything else that made the newspapers in the last few years.23

Now safely at work, our subject sits down at his computer where his supervisor monitors every keystroke he makes. The supervisor can wait until the end of the day or the end of the week to review all of the work he has done on the computer.24 The building he works in, for security reasons, is compartmentalized and a "key" is required to go into another section -- or to the bathroom. The Company's mainframe keeps a record of every door that's opened, every door that's closed -- for how long and by whom.

During the course of the day he has occasion to send a number of e-mails on the company ISP. These are available to management.25 His Fax's are also duplicated and available. His tax returns are filed with the IRS and, in theory, are not accessible to others but in fact are often shared with other Government agencies.26 His tax returns are also on his accountant's machine and system, accessible to others in that office. His stock holdings are on his machine and his broker's (with whatever security they maintain). The same is true of his bank account. Of course his lawyer is privy to all his secrets, many of which are recorded in the lawyer's office computer.

Let us assume that the subject is engaged in some criminal activity. Lets assume further that a pair of convicted criminals who seek lenient treatment from the authority suspects the subject's criminal activity. The convicts approach the authorities and ask them if evidence against the subject and his lawyer will result in a lighter sentence for them. The convicts then break into the computer in violation of the law and bring the files they've stolen to the authorities who tell them it's insufficient -- they need more evidence to convict. The convicts review the stolen files and find further items, which they now turn over to the Government attorneys and this time they find what the government is looking for. The subject and his lawyer are charged on the basis of the pilfered evidence, which is produced in Court -- and it's all perfectly legal.27

On the way home our friend stops at the public library to return some books and at the video rental store to rent some videotapes for later that night. Curiously, federal law protects the record of his videotape rentals, but it does not protect his book reading record.28

He stops at his travel agency to check out a possible European vacation. Of course his passport application is on file with the Federal government. If he is not a citizen he will not be allowed to leave the country until he can prove that all his income taxes are paid; this information is all kept and correlated on the computer. He is also subject to arrest and incarceration for any length of time at the Government's pleasure on "secret evidence" which need not be revealed.29

When he gets abroad, his every move can be tracked daily if he uses credit cards. His purchases may be scanned for suspicious items, such as Swiss watches, while queuing up for his return through American customs. The itinerary for his trip can be read from his airline reservation form, making his detailed travel plans -- accessible.

He makes one last stop at the corner store to buy some cigarettes. A police cruiser is parked across the street with a "see through" x-ray device trained on the entryway to detect people carrying guns. When it is trained on its subject it also shows whether he is circumcised and what type of pubic hair his companion has.30

When he gets home he finds a lab report in the mail on the drug use of his children. This is provided by a private company and it includes an analysis of bits of material found in the kids bureau drawers, pockets, whatever. A computer scan makes this possible. The results are also available to the police (with a subpoena). He then checks his computer to see if the "profiles" he has set on certain of his neighbors and co-workers has caught anything. He does this by setting Boolean instructions in various freely available databases and instructing them to report to him weekly with the results.31 This week's report informs him of a DWI (driving while intoxicated) charge against a neighbor and a wife beating arrest against a fellow worker. He downloads them for possible later use.

He watches television with his family that evening and receives a call from a "surveyor" asking him what TV show he is watching; he refuses to answer stating that to do so would invade his "privacy". He then catches a late night plane for a business trip and checks into a motel. Since he is not the subject of any inquiry, there is no "bug' under his bed, nor is he subject to eavesdropping from the listening device in the room next door. Sweet dreams.

Nearly all the devices and technologies recited in this story run on computers or are driven by them. Public and private sector authorities (whoever they may be) freely use these devices and technologies against any target. No American is immune from the digital electronic terror. Most of the devices used on our fictional friend have also been used against President Bill Clinton throughout the Whitewater and Paula Jones investigations.

It is curious to note the dual role of the FBI in these investigations. As members of the executive branch, the FBI reports to the President, and they share the responsibility for protecting him. But the FBI is also a part of Judge Starr's investigating staff and is therefore charged with the duty of producing all possible evidence against the President. Logic dictates that if the President (or his wife) were to lie to the FBI, the FBI would be obliged to prosecute the President for giving false information to a Government agency. Have there ever been such Praetorians before?

Lawyers in the United States have no immunity to the digital terror. All aspiring law students who wish to be admitted to a law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association must take the standardized Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Before the exam begins, each test-taker is fingerprinted as a "security measure". Where do the fingerprints of all aspiring lawyers go? To the Automatic Fingerprint Identification Service (AFIS), a national database that is used by law enforcement officials to identify fingerprints found at a crime scene. The creepy result: the government has the fingerprints of every single lawyer and lawyer-wannabe in America.32

The United States today has the most marketing-driven society that the world has ever seen. Information and the technology that yields it is a highly valued commodity. Timely information leads to increased efficiency and competitive advantage -- but is all that data worth the loss of privacy? Should information on people's personal lives be so freely available? Should the Federal Government in a democratic society have this much power? Is all of this monitoring worth the tax dollars and the opportunity cost involved?

The many countries around the globe 33 that now stand on the brink of an information-based economy would be well advised to observe the surveilled American - and avoid the digital terror.

The author would like to acknowledge the thorough research and editing provided by student Nancyrae K. Shambu of the University at Buffalo School of Law.

1 A poll conducted by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a consumer advocacy group in Washington D.C., indicates that 61% of consumers reported being concerned about the issue of privacy and that lawmakers needs to address the privacy issue. Kruger, Renee M., "When Does Gathering Customer Data Provide Better Service and When Does it Constitute Abuse?" Discount Merchandiser, Vol. 37, No. 12, pg. 37-40, December 1997. Top

2 A Massachusetts marketing company recently mailed letters to customers of two large Washington D.C. drugstore chains which read: "Our records indicate that you have tried to stop smoking," The letters then attempted to sell a new smoking-cessation product. How did the marketing firm know that the customers were trying to stop smoking? The pharmacies had sold personal information about the patients to marketers. "Privacy In Medical Records: Sorry, You Don't Have Any", USA Today, Pg. 11A, April 6, 1998. Top

3 In a recent advertisement, a direct marketing firm advertised that it had "7.6 million names of people who suffered from allergies, 945,000 suffering from bladder-control problems, and 558,000 suffering from yeast infections". In The News, Federal News Service, March 26, 1998. Top

4 See the Americans with Disabilities Act. 42 U.S.C. ( 12182 (1998). Top

5 A 1996 insurance-reform law gives lawmakers until August 1999 to pass legislation protecting the privacy of medical records. If Congress fails to do so, the Department of Health and Human Services has the authority to step in and regulate the practice. A Senate bill was introduced recently, which would give consumers the right to see and correct their own medical records. The bill would also limit the unauthorized use of medical records by insurers, and includes a criminal sanction of a $50,000 fine and a year in jail for violators. Sen. James Jeffors, R-Vt., "Privacy In Medical Records: Sorry, You Don't Have Any", supra. Top

6 "A newly enacted health insurance bill may set the course for the debate over medical privacy in coming years" according to Evan Hendricks of the Privacy Times. The bill, HR 3103, includes so-called "administrative simplification" requiring the creation of a national computer network within 18 months that will allow companies in the health care industry to pass records freely among themselves. Participation for most health care providers will be mandatory, and those who don't use their own computer equipment will be forced to work with data clearinghouses that will process the data for them. Hendricks, Evan, The Privacy Times, copyright 1997, http://www.privacytimes.com/story06.htm. Top

7 In a New England case filled with international intrigue, a Website development firm is suing its ISP for theft of trade secrets resulting from the ISP's unauthorized reading of confidential e-mail messages. The Plaintiff's allege that the ISP used the information it gained from the e-mail to destroy the Plaintiff's business in Kuwait. Website Services, Inc. v. Maine Internet Works, Inc., filed April 22, 1998 in the 1st Circuit. See also Bloom, Eric, "Firm Sues Provider Over E-mail Privacy", Portland Press Herald, pg. 1B, May 3, 1998. Top

8 See Gaw, Jonathon, "Many Cite Need For Data Protection; But Gaining Efficiency May Come At the Expense of Keeping Privacy," the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, pg. 4D, July 6, 1997. Top

9 In April 1998, the Seventh Circuit upheld the constitutionality of a search warrant for a defendant's CPU where the defendant had taken his computer, which contained several downloaded pictures of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, to the repair shop. The repairman contacted the FBI. The court considered the pictures to be "transported in Interstate commerce" because they had been downloaded from the Internet. The Defendant was found to be in violation of the Electronic Communications Act. 18 U.S.C. ( 2252; See also U.S. v. Hall 1998 U.S. App. LEXIS 7826, No. 97-1898, April 23, 1998 (7th Cir. 1998). 18 U.S.C. ( 2252: Any person who (4) either (B) knowingly possesses 3 or more books, magazines, periodicals, films, video tapes, or other matter which contain any visual depiction that has been mailed, or has been shipped or transported in interstate foreign commerce, or which has been produced using materials which have been mailed or shipped or transported, by any so means including by computer, if -- (i) the producing of such visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; and (ii) such visual depiction is of such conduct; shall be punished as provided in subsection (b) of this section. Top

10 See the Family Educational and Privacy Rights Act, 20 USC ( 1232g (1998). Federal funds can be withheld from any educational institution that shares a student's educational records without proper authorization. Law enforcement data is exempt from the definition of educational records. 20 USC ( 1232g (4)(B)(ii). Top

11 A Texas law enacted in 1998 prohibits minors from smoking. First time violators are required to attend 12 hours of tobacco education classes; to pay of fine of up to $500; and they may also have their driver's license suspended for 60 days. "Teens Beware", Editorial, Dallas Morning News, September 5, 1997, pg. 2A. See also "Underage Smokers", The Houston Chronicle, Section A, pg. 40, April 17, 1998. Top

12 The FBI is attempting to extend its reach to keep up with the bad guys in the digital age. In 1994, Congress passed the Digital Telephony Act which gave the FBI and phone companies until October 1998 to agree on how to do wiretaps using a new type of digital "alligator clip" to tap cell-phones and wireless calls. See Abate, Tom, "Showdown Over Wiretaps," The San Francisco Chronicle, Pg. E 3, March 26, 1998. Top

13 See U.S. Code Title 18, Sentencing Guidelines ( 3c1.1: Obstructing or Impeding the Administration of Justice, 18 USC ( 3(c1.1)(3)(g). Top

14 When it passed the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, Congress mandated that employers report the name, address, Social Security number and wages of every new worker within 20 days of hire. The information is passed to the state government who would then pass it along to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS officials match the names of new hires against its list of parents who are behind on court-ordered child support payments. In its first six months of existence, the registry has turned up more than 100,000 parents who have crossed state lines to avoided paying child support. Wolf, Richard, "Child Support Scofflaws ID'd With Database Registry Tracks New Hires", USA Today, Pg. 3A, April 24, 1998. Top

15 Kali is the most destructive and powerful Goddess in the Hindu religion. She is widely feared and worshipped for her lethal magnificence. Top

16 The microchips are the size of a grain of rice and are made of biocompatible glass. They contain no harmful substances. Marketed by AVID and Infopet in the US, the chips can be scanned by a universal reader, which works as follows: when the dog is taken to an animal shelter or hospital for identification, the technician waives a wand over the dog's back. The unique identification number is revealed and a quick check of the chipmaker's database identifies the dog's owner, address and medical records. See Taylor, Sunny, "Implanted Microchips Provide Easy Means of Identifying Pets", The Virginian Pilot, Norfolk, VA, pg. E1, June 10, 1996, Monday. Top

17 Photographs, palm and thumbprints and DNA blood samples are included in the child identification kits distributed by state agencies and private companies. The North Carolina Department of Justice has distributed the kit to more than 30,000 citizens. The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC May 25, 1997. A child DNA testing kit called "Child Trace" hit the Florida market in 1996. Distributed by Wal-Mart, the kit sells for $9.00. It costs $89.00 to have the DNA film developed. Vito, Robert, CNN Correspondent, Cable News Network News, Transcript # 152-7, May 7, 1996. Top

18 The Personal Information Privacy Act was recently introduced in Congress. Among other things, the proposed bill would prohibit state Department of Motor Vehicles from disseminating personal information to marketers and others without the subject's knowledge. Kleczka, Jerry, D-Wis., Congressional Press Release, June 5, 1997. Top

19 Electronic security giant ADT has developed a system that is designed to counter car theft and alert authorities that a carjacking or other road rage crime is in progress. The system, known as CarCop, combines ADT's existing 24-hour central monitoring capabilities with cellular communications technology and a GPS system to automatically indicate when an ADT customer's car has been broken into and where the car is. Wheelwright, Geof, "Eye In the Sky Protects Your Car From Thieves", The Financial Post, pg. A23, February 20, 1998. Top

20 One need not look any further than Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House, to see the results of an unauthorized taping of a conversation. In January of 1997, two private citizens recorded an embarrassing conference call between House Speaker Gingrich and his top aids, and then leaked it to the press. Federal law makes it a crime to intentionally intercept or disclose the contents of a phone call, but the law is rarely, if ever, enforced with wireless calls. Fillion, Roger, "Lawmakers Support Tougher Cell-phone Privacy Laws", Reuters North American Wire, February 5, 1997, Wednesday, BC Cycle, Washington. Top

21 Many states such as Florida, New York and Illinois have installed hundreds of miles of fiber optic cable alongside US expressways to speed up the process of data collection at toll booths -- and to facilitate the instantaneous transmission of images from video surveillance of scofflaws and cheats. See Stratton, Jim, "Toll Roads Will Keep Information Moving Too...", The Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, FL, pg. D3, June 26, 1997. Top

22 Although the search and seizure provisions of the fourth amendment do not cover private employees, they do have a right to privacy. The law in the area of random drug testing of private employees remains somewhat unclear and varies widely among jurisdictions. John Phillips, "Random Drug Testing Approved", The Tennessee Employment Law Update, Vol. 12, Issue 6, June 1997. Top

23 All of this information is available on LEXIS-NEXIS & WESTLAW. Much of it is also available over the Internet for a fee. Top

24 A recent survey of American Management Association members revealed that at least one-third of all employers are engaged in some sort of electronic surveillance of em

-- Peek A. Boo (@ .), February 08, 2000

Answers

----switch to cash, work for yourself. Stop using credit for purchases, use cash or money orders. A store wants your name for "it's records" tell em in a loud voice so that the other customers can hear you" NO--I don't want my profile sold to other companies, nor freely given out to any agency, it's none of your business, how dare you even ask?"

--recently did that in a store that "insisted" I give them a name, otherwise the transaction couldn't be entered in the computer. We're talking under 10$ for some simple stuff. I told them enter any name they wanted, but they'd have to do it if they wanted to make the sale, or I would go elsewhere, and that I wouldn't do it. Meantime all these other customers were standing around real quiet like, just staring. Told then I didn't appreciate the big brother 1984 databases they were building, that the store policy was seriously flawed, and they could stuff it. Just stood there then with cash in obvious sight, waiting for the clerk to make a move. He looked dazed, then the manager came over and tried to "calm" things I guess. Asked him some personal questions, stuff that was obviously none of his business, then asked him how he liked it, did he see my point. He did, but the computer was configured to not work unless a name was entered! So I said, that's stupid, you need to change that, but fine, gave them a completely funny and ridiculous "name" to enter, forget what, something like "Noe Wayye". These companies can byte me. I've always gotten what I wanted, too, eventually. I tell them I'm not interested in getting any junk mail, flyers, coupons, or any other crap from them, and I think they probably sell that information to other companies. I try to be loud and embarrass them in front of the other customers, polite, but loud enough so they can hear, switch it right back to them as being the bad guys, which they are for even asking, once you say no thankyou politely once, if they insist, then it starts getting into abuse in my book.

Unless you want to live in a big brother society, you need to everytime do your little part, and if you work for one of these database companies, you need to QUIT, get a job that benefits freedom and security, doesn't undermine it. There's plenty of jobs out there, and if you can't find one, then CREATE one, use your smarts, this is still the US, best place to be an entrepeneur. If you are reading this, you can operate a computer, you are obviously interested in "things" beyond the herd mentality, which means you are smart enough to create a job. Go for it!

-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), February 09, 2000.

Also...got a call from phone company. I could sign up for a system located in a computer somewheres that would record all phone calls to and from my home/business. Told the lady I wasn't interested in keeping records of phone calls. "What if your relatives called and you weren't home to answer the call?"

I told her that if my relatives need to talk to me they would call again or leave a message on my personal recorder.

"But this will leave a permanent record of all calls."

"Don't want it."

"But just test it and we will send you a digital phone valued at $80.00 for free."

"Don't want it."

"But it is very convenient!"

"Not interested."

"Well thank you and have a nice day." (Gotta go, I'm busy trying to sucker more Americans into buying this tracking device).

-- Mark Hillyard (foster@inreach.com), February 09, 2000.