[net.general] WARNING Re: UUCP Network Directory

glc@akgua.UUCP (G.L. Cleveland [Lindsay]) (01/02/84)

<<>>

For those who did not see it, the following was posted to both
net.news.adm and net.general.  My comments and concerns follow.

>>Path: akgua!clyde!floyd!cmcl2!philabs!seismo!hao!kpno!amd70!decwrl!sun!qubix!idi!kiessig
>>From: kiessig@idi.UUCP
>>Newsgroups: net.general,net.news.adm
>>Subject: UUCP Network Directory
>>Message-ID: <127@idi.UUCP>
>>Organization: Intelligent Decisions, Saratoga, CA
>>
>>
>>	The UUCP Network Directory will include information on
>>all known sites and all known people at those sites.  The information
>>will be garnered from many sources, and help confirming the
>>accuracy is very important.  Many of you will soon be receiving
>>messages asking for information about yourselves and your site.
>>I would appreciate it if you could answer as many questions as
>>possible.  Many people who respond will be included in the first
>>"trial version", to be published in time for Uniforum in January.
>>I will want to get in touch with site administrators directly.
>>
>>	The amount of information involved here is very large.
>>The directory as first published will likely not contain but a
>>fraction of people and sites actually running UUCP.  However,
>>it is expected to grow quickly, and accurately.  In pursuing
>>accuracy, only people and sites returning complete information
>>to me will be included.  To save me the trouble of mailing you
>>an individual form, you can complete the one below and mail it
>>back to me.  Remember, I am only interested in people who
>>actively read their mail.
>>
>>	Your name as you wish it to appear in print
>>	Your current work address and phone number
>>	Your preferred uucp address
>>	Path to/from a major node(s)
>>	Home address (optional)
>>	Home phone (optional)
>>	Something about yourself (optional)
>>	The uucp address of your site administrator (if known)
>>
>>	I would also apreciate a list of as many names as you
>>can of other people on your machine, and their uucp addresses.
>>If you can provide any of the above information for them as
>>well as for yourself, that would be great.
>>
>>	Thank You,
>>-- 
>>Rick Kiessig
>>decvax!sun!idi!kiessig  or  ucbvax!sun!idi!kiessig

What gives? Is this a new technique for getting the corporate
telephone book?  (Provide information about everyone else in your
company!!)  After this list is provided do we now get flooded
with telephone calls not only to our business telephone but also
to our homes as well?  Wouldn't some sales department really
*love* to know the names, telephone numbers, and background
(including current project) of the folks in Bell Labs.  Talk
about targeting your sales pitch to the right person!

Another great use for this would be to a "headhunter"
company.  Whenever they have an "order" for someone with a
particular background and skill, they just look thru this handy
list and try to "raid" folks from any company that was gullible
enough to provide this information.

I just hope that my "friends" don't put my name and information
in without my permission.  Talk about 1984 and Big Brother with
his dossiers!

Another thing: I don't find anything about site "idi" in either
net.news.map or net.newsite.  This Kiessig fellow has just popped
up out of "nowhere" and wants everyone to start sending him lists
of personnel.  He has already contacted this site (akgua) asking
about all the sites to which we have uucp/mail connections.  That in
itself I find quite all right since that relates to the net.
Secondly he wanted to set up a direct uucp link between us, which
I always encourage anyway.  But then comes the interesting
wrinkle...his site cannot be called! He says they have no
dial-in, yet he feels to free to call other sites!  ("Don't call
us; we'll call you!")

Maybe I am jumping at ghosts and there is nothing untoward behind
all this, after all, the name of the company is "Intelligent
Decisions", and being in California it *has* to be worthwhile.
As an appropriate courtesy, I shall of course mail a copy of this
item directly to Kiessig (provided his machine sees fit to call
mine).  

Could I please get some feedback from the rest of the net.  I'd
like to know if I am being overly concerned or is this now
the "Wave of the Future"?  

In any event,  I hope the rest of the USENET folks who are
employed by AT&T-<whatever> realize that providing that sort of
information should more properly come from the Personnel Department
rather than from individuals on the net.

Cheers,
  Lindsay

Lindsay Cleveland  (...{ihnp4|mhux?|clyde}!akgua!glc)
AT&T Technologies/Bell Laboratories ... Atlanta, Ga
(404) 447-3909 ...  Cornet 583-3909

grw@inmet.UUCP (01/06/84)

#R:akgua:-46700:inmet:4100020:000:515
inmet!grw    Jan  4 10:36:00 1984

I generally agree with your concerns.  A simple list of names and 
organizations with net addresses might be useful but all that additional
information is direct threat to our privacy.  Privacy used to be highly
regarded (at least in this free society) and attempts to obtain and
distribute private information about people should always be suspect and
subject to close scrutiny.

					-- Gary Wasserman
					...harpo!inmet!grw
					...hplabs!sri-unix!cca!ima!inmet!grw
					...yale-comix!ima!inmet!grw
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