[plug] Reciprocal privacy policy

[Steve Boak]

HI All

PLUG's been pretty quiet lately - getting ready for LinuxConf? I've 
signed up, so I hope I'll see a few of you there and see who's behind 
those names I've been seeing on this group for years.

After reading through a few privacy policy and terms and conditions of 
some major internet companies (before NOT signing up), it's pretty 
obvious we have lost control over - actually, given away - our own 
personal and often private data. And others are making huge amounts of 
money, without compensation to us, from what we might claim is 
rightfully ours.

I'm wondering if this can be addressed with a Personal Privacy Policy, 
including the terms on which others can use my personal information. In 
other words, if a company wants to use my information, they must first 
gain my agreement on what they will do with my data.

Does anything like this exist? I've had no luck tracking down examples 
of such agreements.

I know major companies would not want to sign millions of individual 
agreements with every person they deal with, but what would be the legal 
status of a clearly displayed notice, in exactly the same way as they 
already state in their own policies, that
"by the use of my personal data, (including email contents, location, 
monetary, heath status etc) you are implicitly accepting the terms and 
conditions that follow. If you do not agree with these conditions, then 
you must not collect, use or distribute my personal data in any way or 
form".

I have to agree to such conditions before I can use their software, why 
should they not have to do the same if they want to use mine?

Thoughts anybody?

Steve

-- 
Steve Boak, (08) 9756 0662, P.O. Box 240, Nannup, WA 6275
Engin VOIP number (08) 6461 6187 (local number in Perth)
Photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/jalbarragup_artworks/