Data Brokers: What Do They Know About You? - Comments Page 1

Common Bob - "The Internet has made it easy for you and I" - and I?

You say blatantly that "grammar...[is] important", but when you make such hideous error in your writings, your blatant request is is now blatantly arrogant.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Not arrogant, Casey... just human. Thanks for pointing out my (now corrected) error.

Applause for the correct grammar in your opening sentence 😊

Excellent!

"...for you and for me" would be perfectly acceptable also, or "...for you and us" also would be correct.

Bob has given us valuable info on how we are being spied upon, and you guys are only worried about a grammar mistake. Thanks for the info, Bob!!

Bob, Your observations on Data Brokers today is in my opinion the most needed and valuable of any of the very excellent statements you have ever put out. I don't know of anyone who has come to grips with this horrendousproblem at all. I am profoundly grateful. Jim Kuaay

Wow, three identical rants, er, comments. Must be a slow day where you are.

Just to be fair, "such hideous error" contains an error, which I'll let you find. Hint: all that's needed is the addition of one letter. Also, "is is" is repetitive. I guess arrogance is a common failing.

I guess two of your comments have been removed.

I did miss one more error, though. Is the opening supposed to be "Come on, Bob" or "Common Bob"?

As always, thank you for this concise packet of worthwhile information.
I had learnt that American English is a ‘dynamic’ language, also governed by usage. As opposed to 'static' languages like Latin and maybe even French.
As such, I urge you to continue using "you and me" so that peeps would have no need to come out of woodwork for such petty nits and with the hopes that it becomes accepted usage, both literally and figuratively!
Would there be anyone else who would like to join this mission with "Bob and me"?

I find the collection of personal data and the potential for misuse troubling, but I was born in the 1950s. Many young people, who have grown up with social networks where they freely share their personal data, might not consider this a big problem.

Months before I turned 65 I started getting letters about this or that Medicare policy; brokers even showed up at my door. Now my wife is getting the same treatment. I suspect the ransomware writers could make a lot more money if they could write something that would delete us from the data brokers databases (for a price).

Thank you for this info on a really important topic, Bob.

Then you have the wale shark of data collections. Fusion Centers. These state, local and regional institutions were originally created to improve the sharing of anti-terrorism intelligence among different state, local and federal law enforcement agencies. The scope of their mission has expanded - with the support and encouragement of the federal government of course- to cover "all crimes and all hazards." The types of information they seek for analysis includes not just criminal intelligence, but public and private sector data. These fusion centers raise major privacy issues.

Then you have Judicial Watch who obtained records from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) revealing that the agency has spent millions of dollars for the warrantless collection and analysis of Americans’ financial transactions. The documents also reveal that CFPB contractors may be required to share the information with “additional government entities.”
Some of the documents include
Overlapping contracts with multiple credit reporting agencies and accounting firms to gather, store, and share credit card data as shown in the task list of a contract with Argus Information & Advisory Services LLC worth $2.9 million
· An “indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity” contract with Experian worth up to $8,426,650 to track daily consumer habits of select individuals without their awareness or consent
· $4,951,333 for software and instruction paid to Deloitte Consulting LLP
· A provision stipulating that “The contractor recognizes that, in performing this requirement, the Contractor may obtain access to non-public, confidential information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), or proprietary information.”
· A stipulation that “The Contractor may be required to share credit card data collected from the Banks with additional government entities as directed by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).”

Then you have a totally manipulated and managed stock market and of course the global warming hoax, never let a good cycle go to waste, and then there is the tic tac toe we see in the sky above us! I think this is all part of the “ New Normal”?! Sorry I digressed :)

@casey I bet you're really fun at parties - NOT!

"For you and ME" is grammatically correct, because "me" is the object of "for" (think "for me," not "for I," which is incorrect). "For me to collect," not "for I to collect." Therefore, "For you and me to collect."

"Me/I" is not the subject of the verb infinitive "to collect" ("me/I to collect info"). "I" is subject, "me" is object. "You" is the same as a subject or object, so there's not a problem with it ("you collect," "for you").

In fact, the phrase beginning "to collect" is like a noun which is the object of the verb "has made," and explains the word "it."

English uses the word "it" so that an entire idea can be expressed quickly ("made IT easy for us")without getting bogged down in a very long string of words up front. When reworded with "to collect [phrase]" instead of "it," the infinitive "to collect" would be changed to the gerund (noun) "collecting."

"The Internet has made 'to collect ... information ...' easy for you and me" becomes "The Internet has made 'COLLECTING ... information ...' easy for you and me."

Thanks for indulging my urge to grapple with the grammar!

Now THAT is really scary. George Orwell just turned over in his grave.

Thanks for that information, Bob. And BTW, your grammar police groupies are pretty scary too!

You and I are not the only ones to want you and me to feel Grammer is important. Down Periscope! Let us shoot from the hip and rejoice in our humanness.

Hi Bob and other readers,
Yes, the wrong use of "you and I" is something to be noticed and eliminated, because it contaminates the language we all use, and should try to respect. In this case, however, the attention given this mistake took away from the very topic of the blog.
I hear people often say that they don't care about snooping of any kind, because they don't have anything to hide. I have nothing to hide myself, but I resent becoming an article for sale. What I buy in the store, how I entertain myself and what doctor heals my ails and with what, should be my business and nobody else's.
The elected by me officials should protect my interests, not the powers' that be. My right to privacy is more important than how easy it is to the government to do its job. And in this case it is not even the government who is the main client of the information gatherer. The government just allows this gathering for its further use. It is a crime. I have a right to be left alone and not to be preyed upon. More so, because I have nothing to hide.
Thank you for the article.
It is good to know.

Bob, I have been reading your columns since the tour buss days and I have always found them to be informative. Quite often I learn as much or more from the thoughtful comments of your readers as I do from your column.
Today's column was a major exception. While proper grammar and spelling is important, it should not become the main topic of the comments.
I sincerely hope that you simply delete comments that provide no useful information so as to prevent your comment pages from deteriorating to the level that you can find in the comment section of any newspaper.
If you do not agree feel free to delete this comment.
JD

Thanks for the good info, Bob. I'm sure this situation with these types of businesses is just the tip of the ice burg. These people are parasites, who've been blinded by the huge profits that are generated by their invasion of our privacy & the subsiquent misuse. If everyone thinks this is bad now, just wait, it gets worse. And it will continue to go in that direction unless we do something about it now.
I've felt for many years that even many of the handy little apps we use routinely are probably designed specifically to be sneaky, backdoor, data miners. Isn't that the real definition of a Trojan horse?
Can't wait to see what little "surprises" Pokemon Go has in store.

I'd like to add that I agree with much of the info written by "barry" above. Including his remark about "the tic ac toe we see in our sky above us!" I'm sure he is referring to the "chemtrails' left by jets spraying our skies. This is deadly serious and needs our immediate attention. The real term for it is "geoengineering". See geoengineerinwatch.org for the frightening story. Sorry to get a bit off-topic.