How about asking people to enter their ID number and having JavaScript
code which does MD5 encryption on it before transmission to the Web
server (with enough visual assurance and feedback to reassure the
paranoid among us [me] that this is what they are doing)?
I find it hard to believe that they have already tried this method.
On Mon, 2004-12-20 at 19:35, Eli Marmor wrote:
> Omer Zak wrote:
> >
> > I see.
> >
> > I think there are alternatives, which are less dangerous to people's
> > privacy.
> >
> > For example, when you sign up, P&C will issue you a serial number (perhaps
> > combination of name+number, like hotmail did) which you are requested to
> > use in your future dealings with P&C. And you'll want to use the issued
> > serial number so that you'll not receive double mailings due to duplicate
> > references in their database.
>
> This was exactly the previous method they tried.
> And it helped people like me, who remember numbers and obey rules
> ("Yekke Potz").
> But for other people it didn't help.
> We are Israelis, after all...
> So after the previous method failed, they moved to this method.
> But as I said, I'm not their spokesman. So argue with them.
> And in any case, it's hard to argue with people who have experience
> with a database of dozens of thousands people.
> We can discuss this issue, raise ideas, analyze it in the theoretical
> level, etc., but they have already passed all the phases and trial
> and error and reached to the current method.
> So maybe they are right, maybe not, but it's hard for us to judge.
>
> > On Mon, 20 Dec 2004, Eli Marmor wrote:
> >
> > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> > >
> > > > I have just visited the signup page. I whanted to know out why
> > > > my ID number is needed in order to sign up ?
> > >
> > > I'm not the spokesman of People&Computers, but if I was asked to guess
> > > why they need it, I could guess easily:
> > >
> > > This is the only UNIQUE number, that EACH of us has, and NEVER changes
> > > (contrary to e-mail).
> > >
> > > In the past, when you registered, any small change caused your record
> > > to duplicate. For example, in my case it caused me to "appear" 4 or 5
> > > timesin their database.
--
My own blog is at http://www.livejournal.com/users/tddpirate/
My opinions, as expressed in this E-mail message, are mine alone.
They do not represent the official policy of any organization with which
I may be affiliated in any way.
WARNING TO SPAMMERS: at http://www.zak.co.il/spamwarning.html
=================================================================
To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command
echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
