Greetings from SurfSafely.com! If you enjoy reading this newsletter as much as I do writing it, pass it on to all your friends and family. As always, this newsletter is opt-in only. If you feel you've received it in error, reliable removal instructions are at the bottom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this issue: 1. Privacy policies - Are they really? 2. Upcoming free workshop, Westchester county, NY. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't forget, archived copies of all past news letters can always be found at http://surfsafely.com/surfsafety/frameset_news.html and are fully searchable. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Privacy policies =================== The privacy or your personal information is important to you, right? After all, in the wrong hands your life could easily be turned upside down overnight. Just ask anyone who has had their identity stolen. They will tell you, it's important to safeguard your personal information. Others would have you believe your privacy is important to them as well. Because of some of the stories we've seen about identity theft, it's a very hot topic these days. To preserve their image some companies go to great lengths to write fancy looking privacy policies that, on the surface, look like they have your best interests at heart. But do they really? Case in point: I was online the other evening with every intent of setting up an online payment account with Chase Bank. This would have allowed me to pay my credit card bill from my checking account from the comfort of my office chair. In keeping with their slogan "The right relationship is everything" we are presented with their Privacy Policy to read and accept. It was so long that I dare say fewer than 1% even bother to skim it over before clicking the Accept button, and less than 1% of those who read it thoroughly. I mean let's face it. With an opening statement like: "Chase Manhattan Bank USA, N.A. ("Chase") is committed to protecting the privacy, security and confidentiality of information we have about you.", who needs to read the rest. Right? Wrong! As you might have guessed, I am one of those 1-in-10,000 who actually did read it thoroughly. That's my job. Not much further down we find this: "We may share information we receive about you, as described above, with firms we hire to market our products and services or with financial service companies not within the Chase family of companies with whom we have joint marketing agreements to provide you with offers of their financial products and services." They also discuss the sharing of information "Within the Chase family of companies" and make a very big deal over the fact that they offer the ability to opt out of some of those communications, but there are no provisions covering those companies with whom they share our information OUTSIDE the "Chase family". Chase also states: "These companies may receive information about you, but they must safeguard this information and may not use it for any other purposes." But if these companies are not part of the Chase family, how do they really know? What auditing do they conduct to assure that third parties safeguard our information according to their stated policies? Why even risk it in the first place? Does this sound like a company with high regard for the privacy of your personally identifiable information? I have got to tell you, I have yet to see in any published privacy policy with such blatant disregard for a subscriber's personal information. Calling it a "Privacy" policy is what this writer calls an oxymoron without rival. Needless to say, I told Chase their "Privacy" policy is a joke and that there is no way I would grant them permission to use my information as stated in their policy. The moral: All that glitters is not gold. Just because a company presents the appearance of caring, it doesn't mean they really do. Don't do business with any company online that does not state their privacy policy in such a way as to be legally binding upon them and make sure you READ and AGREE with those policies before conducting business with them. Choose carefully. Don't rely on name recognition alone. As shown in this example, even big names sometimes fall short of the mark. Buyer beware. For anyone wondering if I have my facts straight, take a look for yourself at https://chase.presentment.com/privacy.shtml. I told them I would be writing this piece. I expect they will pull it down out of sheer embarrassment so save yourself a snapshot of it as soon as you can on your computer. I did. If nothing else, it's good for a few laughs! :D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. Free workshop ================ Thursday evening, May 9 starting at 7:30 pm yours truly has been invited to speak to parents of children in the Chappaqua, NY school district. The event sponsored by the Chappaqua PTA is free and open to the public. The location is West Orchard Elementary School, 25 Granite Road, Chappaqua, NY. Their telephone is (914)238-6250. Also scheduled to speak is someone from the District Attorney's office. More details as they become available. We're expecting it will draw considerable media attention. I will also be posting it at SurfSafely.com and have direct links to driving directions to the school. I hope to see many of you there! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That's news for now. Be informed, Be involved, Be well. Sincerely, Mark Brasche Founder and CEO, SurfSafely.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~