encrypted tapes (was Re: Papers about "Algorithm hiding" ?)

Adam Shostack adam at homeport.org
Fri Jun 10 13:16:31 EDT 2005


On Fri, Jun 10, 2005 at 01:11:45PM -0400, astiglic at okiok.com wrote:
| "Ben Laurie wrote"

| > Sure, but Equifax should.
| 
| No, they shouldn't!  If you think they should, you are missinformed.  At
| least in Canada, the Privacy Act protects the SIN, Equifax cannot demand
| it.
| See for example
| http://www.privcom.gc.ca/fs-fi/02_05_d_02_e.asp
| and
| http://www.guardmycreditfile.org/index.php/content/view/244/139/
| which says the following:
| "Even credit reporting companies can’t demand a SIN to generate a credit
| report. Trans Union Canada and Equifax Canada both have the ability to
| generate such reports without a SIN. If you ask these same companies to
| generate a credit report in the United States, they both require a Social
| Security Number."
| 
| And if Equifax Canada can generate reports without a SIN, I don't see why
| Equifax in any other country couldn't.  Of course, they like to have the
| SIN, since it makes things more convenient, but they don't really need it!
|  That is the problem in most cases.

Actually, there's a difference between theory and practice here.  When
I signed up for a mobile phone, they demanded a SIN, or would put me
on the "sucker" plan.  When I complained to the Quebec privacy
commissioner, they told me that that was OK.

There are so many examples of this sort of thing that I gave up
sending complaint letters.  Then you look at CIBC, and the lack of
fines... 

Adam

---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cryptography Mailing List
Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to majordomo at metzdowd.com



More information about the cryptography mailing list