On Mar 12, 2010, at 1:57 PM, Scott Weeks wrote:
>
>
> --- t...@americafree.tv wrote:
> From: Marshall Eubanks <t...@americafree.tv>
>
> This might be useful to some. Article :
> http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62B08720100312
>
> site :http://www.broadband.gov/
>
> It requires giving your address.
> -----------------------------------------------
>
>
> Nah, no real address needed. Just use 123 elm street abbeville alabama
> 36310. That's the first zip code I found on a site... ;-)
What they really need is something more or less like an accurate zip code, I
suspect. They want to find out what real "broadband" speeds are in different
parts of the country. Putting in a fake address renders your data useless.
One can ask why they aren't using IP geolocation; I suspect it's because it's
not accurate enough. Your address? They may be interested in how many
cable-feet you are from a CO, for DSL linkes.
Now -- under the Privacy Act, if they're collecting addresses I believe they
had to do a Privacy Impact Assessment. Since I can't imagine why it would be
classified, it should be publicly available. I don't see it, but I don't have
time today to look for it.
--Steve Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb
