HIPAA violation?????

[nanramone]

I suggested the "spy" because I was stunned that my very own boyfriend (ex, now) logged on to this site to read my posts.

Everyone knows that there is not much that will stop a company from digging up as much private info as they can, in order to reach their target. That's why so many weird entities ran credit checks on me this past year, in order to decide if I was a good "hit"..the info they garnered helped them make decisions about whether to send me pre-approved credit cards, pre-determined insurance amounts, etc...and I do not doubt that there are possible interlopers here, as well, looking for people who might need a hearing aid!

But that's just me...not paranoid, just very aware...

Nancy

[lori67]

Man, Lori is going to be soooooo jealous 

Show off!   

[Tod]

All of the points made previously are valid.

However, there are a lot of ways to  "estimate" this kind of information without actually looking at any information that might be considered private.

The block-level census data is often used to develop mailings based on statistical estimates. If a company has a product that is geared to specific customer type, they can profile the likelihood of that type existing in an area. Through studying census data, combined with the additional surveys like the Current Population Survey or the General Social Science Survey, one can determine that there x number of individuals over the age of 50 and y% are likely to have hearing problems. Combining that information with public records like phone books recent home sales or real estate tax records, an organization can make some cost-effective mailings that are pretty well targeted.

Of course, some information they purchase. If you use a discount card at the grocery store, that is another potential avenue for information. Over the course of a year, your purchases can tell a "dataminer" a lot about you.

Jim's right - there is precious little privacy left in the world.

-Tod

[nanramone]

Tod - darn those statisticians! My auto insurance just increased because I don't have a credit card!!! How about that?  ;-)

[Tod]

Nanramone, I won't even touch that one. My car insurance went up because we let the insurance company know that my son had his truck at college. Out in the middle of nowhere Virginia costs me an additional $100/month. I suspect it has to do with the fact the county is moonshine capitol of the state, if not the nation.

But yes, it is all based on statistical likelihoods in order to balance risk and exposure.

-Tod

[Jim Scott]

My car insurance went up because we let the insurance company know that my son had his truck at college. Out in the middle of nowhere Virginia costs me an additional $100/month. I suspect it has to do with the fact the county is moonshine capitol of the state, if not the nation.

As a former auto insurance salesman I can tell you that the rise in your auto insurance premiums probably had as much to do with having a child under 25 on your policy than where his vehicle is located.  However, as you correctly noted: "it is all based on statistical likelihoods in order to balance risk and exposure" - the basis of insurance 'underwriting' - so the location of your son's vehicle, as well as the age, make and type of vehicle (if he carries collision coverage) and his annual mileage driven are all factored into the premium.  The underwriter probably saw the new location as well as  the fact that your son is no longer living with you as increasing the risk of his having an accident and subsequently raised your premium.  Had you not notified your auto insurance carrier about your son's vehicle being relocated (generating a higher premium) and had he filed a claim, it would have been honored but your policy might not have been renewed, so you did the legal, ethical thing but, as is often the case, doing the right thing has a cost. 

Jim

[Tod]

Jim, I'm sure you are correct. I did discuss this further and it was told it was substantially because of the location. And since I the truck is in my name, with full coverage, darn right it has collision. Quite frankly though, I have no doubt that the accident rate out there is quite high. It is about as middle of nowhere as you can get in Virginia with some wicked, nasty narrow roads. Topic for a different forum though.

tod

[lori67]

Let me guess, Tod...he goes to Tech?  That is pretty much the middle of nowhere!  Perhaps there is a higher than average incidence of hitting a cow?   

Lori

[Tod]

Ooops, no Lori.

The Blacksburg/Christianburg/Radford metropolitan looks likes Manhattan compared to Ferrum. The town barely exists and Franklin County produces 3/4s of million gallons of moonshine each year...a good portion of which is sold to VT and RU students.

Tod

[lori67]

Yes, then I guess he is truly in the middle of nowhere!  Oh well, someone has to keep all those kids supplied with moonshine!