mmt@client1.DRETOR.UUCP (Martin Taylor) (12/06/89)
Does anyone know anything about a company called "MIGHT DIRECTORIES"
Div or R.L.Polk & Co. Ltd"? We have received a slip headed
"Important Request from the publisher of the local city directory"
to provide them with a list of the occupants, their occupations, and
employers for the house, along with the phone number and whether the
house is owned or rented. This seems a lot more than should be going
into a city directory. Are these people legitimate? Is it reasonable
to fill this slip out in whole or part and return it, or is there a
significant privacy issue here? If this is a city directory at all,
why is a private company involved? I realize that the information might
well get into private hands even from a publicly owned database, but
the idea of giving it directly to a private company doesn't seem right.
Anyway, I'm going to wait a few days before returning the slip, if I
do so at all, to see whether there is any useful net reaction.
--
Martin Taylor (mmt@zorac.dciem.dnd.ca ...!uunet!dciem!mmt) (416) 635-2048
If the universe transcends formal methods, it might be interesting.
(Steven Ryan).bdb@becker.UUCP (Bruce Becker) (12/07/89)
In article <2721@client1.DRETOR.UUCP> mmt@client1.DRETOR.UUCP (Martin Taylor) writes: | |Does anyone know anything about a company called "MIGHT DIRECTORIES" |Div or R.L.Polk & Co. Ltd"? We have received a slip headed |"Important Request from the publisher of the local city directory" |to provide them with a list of the occupants, their occupations, and |employers for the house, along with the phone number and whether the |house is owned or rented. This seems a lot more than should be going |into a city directory. Are these people legitimate? Is it reasonable |to fill this slip out in whole or part and return it, or is there a |significant privacy issue here? If this is a city directory at all, |why is a private company involved? I realize that the information might |well get into private hands even from a publicly owned database, but |the idea of giving it directly to a private company doesn't seem right. |Anyway, I'm going to wait a few days before returning the slip, if I |do so at all, to see whether there is any useful net reaction. I happen to have a Might Directory for 1920 - at that time they were at 74-76 Church Street in Toronto. I think they were established in 1875. I'm not sure about R. L. Polk, but I seem to recall that they were doing picture postcards in the first half of the century. Somehow the idea of maps is associated with their name in my mind, perhaps mistakenly... Cheers, -- ^^ Bruce Becker Toronto, Ont. w \**/ Internet: bdb@becker.UUCP, bruce@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu `/v/-e BitNet: BECKER@HUMBER.BITNET _/ >_ "Modern Businessmen believe in Christiannuity" - Pres. George Bosch
pavel@dgp.toronto.edu (Pavel Rozalski) (12/08/89)
mmt@client1.DRETOR.UUCP (Martin Taylor) writes: >Does anyone know anything about a company called "MIGHT DIRECTORIES" >Div or R.L.Polk & Co. Ltd"? We have received a slip headed >"Important Request from the publisher of the local city directory" >to provide them with a list of the occupants, their occupations, and >employers for the house, along with the phone number and whether the >house is owned or rented. I have heard that some company goes around calling itself something official sounding like "City Directory" goes around collecting addresses and phone numbers (as well as other statistics apparently) and then this information is sold. In a library once I saw this huge book looking like a phone book, sorted by phone number rather than name. I believe that tele-marketing firms would find this very useful. I would hesitate to give out any information. Pavel Rozalski UUCP: ..!uunet!dgp.toronto.edu!pavel Bitnet: pavel@dgp.utoronto Internet/Ean: pavel@dgp.toronto.{edu,cdn}
cs3mi3ab@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Don Bork -- Rouge Tete) (12/08/89)
> From: mmt@client1.DRETOR.UUCP (Martin Taylor) > Does anyone know anything about a company called "MIGHT DIRECTORIES" > Div or R.L.Polk & Co. Ltd"? We have received a slip headed R.L. Polk is a publishing company that makes city directories for every decent sized city in Canada. This directories contain information as to who lives at a certain phone number, their occupation, employer etc. They also allow you to look up who lives at a certain phone number. (ie. you've 555-1234 in your files, but don't know who it is.) They give useful information on where a person lives (it goes up and down each street listing the people that live there). > Are these people legitimate? Is it reasonable Yes, these people are legitimate, and their directories are very useful for anyone that deals with the general public a great deal, or is trying to collect an unpaid bill (phone calls to employers usually work). The directories are quite expensive, but most libraries have a copy for their own city, so you can go in and take a look at it for free. -- Donald Bork 'The Resthome' BORKD@SCIVAX.MCMASTER.CA 191 Ewen Rd. ENVOY 100: Don.Bork Hamilton, Canada -------------------------------------------------------------------------
hofbauer@csri.toronto.edu (John Hofbauer) (12/08/89)
>Does anyone know anything about a company called "MIGHT DIRECTORIES" >Div or R.L.Polk & Co. Ltd"? We have received a slip headed >"Important Request from the publisher of the local city directory" >to provide them with a list of the occupants, their occupations, and >employers for the house, along with the phone number and whether the >house is owned or rented. This seems a lot more than should be going >into a city directory. Are these people legitimate? They are legitimate. You can check out a copy of this business directory at any Public Library. I have often consulted it to get some preliminary information on people. It is a private business venture so you are under no obligation to respond to their request. I never do. The request goes directly to the garbage because I want to protect my privacy as much as possible. Even so I appear in the directory. The primary customers of this directory are, of course, businesses which want to sell you things or services over the telephone or otherwise.
webber@psych.toronto.edu (Bob Webber) (12/08/89)
These directories are used by companies wanting to know what to sell and to whom. Anything you release to the Might Directory people will be seen and likely used by salespeople. That is essentially what a city directory is for: providing data so that sales can be focussed and markets analyzed. There is no "invasion" of privacy, since this is not an abuse of data you are required to make available to an agency. If you co-operate with the directory compilers, however, you are surrendering some of your privacy, presumably in exchange for being better served by businesses and their sales forces. If you don't like being sold at, don't tell the directory compilers about yourself.
stevenz@carr.UUCP (Steven Zepp) (12/08/89)
In article <2721@client1.DRETOR.UUCP> mmt@client1.DRETOR.UUCP (Martin Taylor) writes: > >Does anyone know anything about a company called "MIGHT DIRECTORIES" >Div or R.L.Polk & Co. Ltd"? These directories are available for most Canadian cities, and I'm sure they exist in the States, too. You should take a look at one (York University's Map Library has them, for example), to see all the nifty information it contains (like profession, household income, number in household, surname, etc.) There are normally 2 lists: alpha by address and numerical by phone number. I'm not sure where they get the information, but this is the first time I've ever heard them actually ask for it. As to the issue of privacy, it's kind of scary to know that all this information is collected and published about everyone in urban areas. It's even scarier that most people don't know that it is all so accessible. Steven ----- Steven Zepp (416) 736-5376 Computer-Assisted Writing Centre 530 Scott Library, York University stevenz@writer.UUCP 4700 Keele Street stevenz@writer.yorku.ca Downsview, Ontario, M3J 1P3 ...uunet!utai!yunexus!writer!stevenz
clewis@eci386.uucp (Chris Lewis) (12/08/89)
In article <2721@client1.DRETOR.UUCP> mmt@client1.DRETOR.UUCP (Martin Taylor) writes: >Does anyone know anything about a company called "MIGHT DIRECTORIES" >Div or R.L.Polk & Co. Ltd"? We have received a slip headed >"Important Request from the publisher of the local city directory" >to provide them with a list of the occupants, their occupations, and >employers for the house, along with the phone number and whether the >house is owned or rented. This seems a lot more than should be going >into a city directory. Are these people legitimate? Is it reasonable >to fill this slip out in whole or part and return it, or is there a >significant privacy issue here? If this is a city directory at all, >why is a private company involved? I realize that the information might >well get into private hands even from a publicly owned database, but >the idea of giving it directly to a private company doesn't seem right. R.L. Polk compiles a book out of everything that you tell them (or they find from other sources) and then sells it to such people as Real Estate agencies. I remember seeing one at a Real Estate agent's, and looking at it out of curiousity. And being startled about what they knew about my parents (and myself). The one I saw was sorted by address. Just perfect for a REA to find out how to pester someone in a house that their client says "that might be a nice one to buy". Or for the more criminally inclined... ("H'mm, I can see a VCR in his window, and look up in my Polk's for the person's phone number to find out when the best time is to visit..." Or "I'll just look up in my Polk's for the phone number of the house that I saw that ... enter"....) They're perfectly legitimate - it ain't illegal and they're a reasonably reputable firm (in so far as, say, the BBB is concerned). But, do you really want to give them anything? Judge for yourself.... -- A fanatic is one who can't change his | Chris Lewis, Elegant Communications Inc mind and won't change the subject. | {uunet!attcan,utzoo}!lsuc!eci386!clewis [Winston Churchill] | Ferret mailing list: eci386!ferret-list | psroff mailing list: eci386!psroff-list
clewis@eci386.uucp (Chris Lewis) (12/09/89)
In article <1273@becker.UUCP> bdb@becker.UUCP (Bruce Becker) writes: [Re: R.L. Polk] > Somehow the > idea of maps is associated with their name in > my mind, perhaps mistakenly... You must have "P" confusion. You're association is with Perly's. Not the same guys. -- A fanatic is one who can't change his | Chris Lewis, Elegant Communications Inc mind and won't change the subject. | {uunet!attcan,utzoo}!lsuc!eci386!clewis [Winston Churchill] | Ferret mailing list: eci386!ferret-list | psroff mailing list: eci386!psroff-list
mmt@client2.DRETOR.UUCP (Martin Taylor) (12/11/89)
I have received several e-mail responses to my query about the legitimacy
of the "Might Directory". Thank you all, as well as the gentleman who
left a message on my answering machine with an e-mail address I either
mis-heard or mmistyped.
The concensus is that the Might Directory is totally legitimate, and has
been making city directories for various cities for over 70 years. The
directories appear mainly in the public libraries, where anyone can
peruse them. So if you want your information to appear in the directory,
by all means fill in the form.
--
Martin Taylor (mmt@zorac.dciem.dnd.ca ...!uunet!dciem!mmt) (416) 635-2048
If the universe transcends formal methods, it might be interesting.
(Steven Ryan).