The Hoosier Contrarian gave me the big thought of the day. He writes:
"I just read parts of the US Army Manual, FM34-60 COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
( I have way too much time on my hands), and a thought occurred to me.
We all have, or should have, firewalls for our personal computers,
passwords for our banking and communication over the internet, etc. But
what about consumer tools that have been specifically designed to act
as “countermarketing” aids? And if they exist, what do they look like,
how are they configured, and managed? It may be a bit of a stretch to
visualize, but for me, it might mean that I can begin to manage how I
want various companies to incorporate my internet behavior into their
computerized marketing machinery. Imagine the possibilities. If enough
people used such a tool, it might even force companies to do the hard
work. Actually get to know me." (emphasis added)
( I have way too much time on my hands), and a thought occurred to me.
We all have, or should have, firewalls for our personal computers,
passwords for our banking and communication over the internet, etc. But
what about consumer tools that have been specifically designed to act
as “countermarketing” aids? And if they exist, what do they look like,
how are they configured, and managed? It may be a bit of a stretch to
visualize, but for me, it might mean that I can begin to manage how I
want various companies to incorporate my internet behavior into their
computerized marketing machinery. Imagine the possibilities. If enough
people used such a tool, it might even force companies to do the hard
work. Actually get to know me." (emphasis added)
Now, I do a fair amount of this currently, primarily by trying to use plus addressing on my email address whenever possible in order to know who is selling my email address to whom. (Plus addressing allows me to determine the source of the leak.)
What kinds of marketing countermeasures do you use?
I do the same thing, although since I have my own domain, I do it without the plusses. I just let everything in. It’s been fun to see who has leaked where.
Also, it’s fun to tell the guys at Joe Doakes Garage that they should send mail to joedoakes@(mydomain).com. It makes them feel special 🙂
I, too, use the plus addressing, but have run into a problem with it. Since it is not supported by all email servers, the company to whom you give your plus-address may not be able to send you an email. Usually, it will be denied by the web form, but on two occasions it was not, forcing me to call them to correct it.
Also, if your correct name is not required, a variation of it may tip you off as to whom they are passing your info.