1. Anticipatory set:
Brainstorm one or more of the following discussion questions:
I. What do you consider to be your personal information? -- any information
that you give to a bank, credit card company, or other financial institution
while making a transaction or doing business:
- Name, address, phone number, social security number;
- Account numbers and balances;
- Purchase history - any items which you may have purchased with an
ATM card, credit card, debit card, checkbook, or store discount card;
- Cell phone records;
- Computer/email/on-line purchases;
- Your credit score - derived from your payment history and account
information.
II. Who has your personal information?
- Government agencies;
- Bank;
- Grocery store;
- Insurance company;
- Doctors.
III. What do you consider public information?
- Name, address, phone number.
- Any information that is maintained by a government agency that
identifies you by name or social security number is public record
information. Some of this information is sensitive or confidential.
Other information is sold by the government for marketing purposes.
2. Give students the following information in lecture form.
IV. Who would want your personal information anyway?
- Advertising and marketing industries.
- Retail corporations want to know what kind of person you are so
that they can target you as a buyer and create advertising to which
you are likely to respond.
- The government - Ret. Admiral Poindexter is currently heading a
government commission to develop a program to record all electronic
transactions of every American - bank transactions, cell phone calls,
phone calls, purchases, email habits, etc. The stated purpose of such
a program is to track suspicious behavior that could lead to terrorism.
V. Why should I protect my privacy?
- You are guilty until proven innocent: the computer is always right.
Have you ever tried to argue with someone about your bill? If it is
in the computer, you owe $X amount. No arguments.
- You are absolutely accountable for everything that you have said,
bought, done, or read - remember Monica Lewinsky? Her book purchases
were subpoenaed from her bookstore by the special prosecutor during
the investigation of President Clinton.
- Your personal information can be taken out of context, with devastating
consequences. See Activity.
- Your information has become a valuable property right. Guard it.
Marketing organizations use your personal information to target marketing
to your interests. They pay big bucks to whoever has your information
in order to get it. This is not to mention the illegal business of
identity theft and fraud.
- Your information is vulnerable to theft and misuse. Damage created
is very difficult to undo.
VI. How can you protect your personal information?
A. Don't throw it away - always shred or tear up the following before
discarding:
- Pre-approved credit card offers;
- Unneeded checks or deposit slips;
- Credit card receipts;
- Any document containing your social security number;
- Any document containing account numbers.
B. Don't give it away.
- Avoid calling 800 or 888 numbers - they log and sell phone numbers;
- Ask telemarketers to put you on their do not call list;
- Never fill out extra information on warranty cards;
- Never volunteer extra information about yourself or anyone else.
C. Don't sell it cheap.
- Never enter supermarket contests or answer surveys;
- Do not use a shopper's value card if you do not want your purchase
to be logged;
- Read all privacy policies carefully before opening an account;
- Think twice before subscribing to a magazine or making a catalog
purchase;
- Do not provide information in exchange for a discount or coupon.
3. Activity:
A. Divide students into groups.
B. Have each student read the handout ("Could this happen to you?")
to himself.
C. After the students read the handout, have each group brainstorm
the following questions:
** What kind of personal information is in this letter?
- Name, address, policy number;
- Monthly health insurance premium;
- Cholesterol level;
- Weight level;
- Prescribed medication;
- Banking information;
- Fitness level; · Purchase habits;
- Credit card purchases;
- Failure to take advantage of rebate offer;
- Daughter's name and purchase of product;
- Location of ATM withdrawals; and
- Employer name.
** Who has this personal information?
** How did the health insurance company get this information?
- cholesterol level, weight, prescription medication - from doctor
reports;
- banking information, failure to purchase medication, failure to
go to gym - due to the current trend toward affiliation between financial
service corporations, medical institutions, insurance providers, and
employers, formerly confidential information can be transferred within
the same company or within its affiliates;
- Purchase habits - can be determined from banking records or by
store value cards;
- Daughter's name and purchase of the product - she probably filled
out the rebate form.
** Should the insurance company have access to all of this information?
** Do you think that it is good or bad for one company/the government
to have this type of information about you?
** What would you think if you found out that John coaches Little League,
and he buys the kids ice cream if they win.
** Could this situation get any worse? John is looking at more than
triple his monthly insurance premiums, the loss of his health insurance,
the loss of his job, etc. Yes, it could get worse. Because of the transfer
of information between affiliated companies, John could be denied credit,
and that denial could be used to terminate his existing insurance, credit
cards, mortgage, and even his job.
COULD THIS HAPPEN TO YOU?
July 10, 2004
John Q. Consumer
55 Greentree Ave.
Park Haven,
XX 99245
RE: Policy xxx-yy-zzzz0123
Dear John:
At XXXHealthcare, we believe in keeping health care affordable and
our customers healthy. Changes made in state law last year allow us
to better tailor our program to your needs. From now on, your health
insurance premium will be specifically tailored to the risk you represent.
Your monthly premium will change from $528.00 to $1,792.00 starting
August 15, 2004.
John, you need to make some much-needed changes. Your medical records
indicate that your HDL cholesterol level is extremely high, and that
you are mildly obese. These factors increase your risk of heart attack
or stroke. We do not believe that you are taking your prescribed medication,
Lipidsgone. Your checking and credit card accounts do not show that
you have made this purchase. You did not attend any of the exercise
sessions scheduled for you through our Wellness Center.
Why are you buying so much ice cream? And why are you so hostile about
it? Have you been keeping your ice cream consumption secret from your
family? When we first inquired about the repeated transactions on your
credit account at Doubledips, we sent you literature about the effect
of butterfat on cholesterol levels. We also sent a rebate offer for
a non-fat ice cream alternative. You did not take advantage of the offer.
(We're glad your daughter, Ellen, likes the product.)
Do you really think we're that stupid, John? We saw your credit transactions
cease. But we also know that you've been accessing the ATM right across
the street from Doubledips at least twice a week. Before our calls,
you had never made any withdrawal from that location. Your level of
hostility is disturbing. High levels of anger pose a grave health risk,
especially in someone already predisposed to heart attack or stroke.
Have you considered professional help? Any addiction can wreak havoc
in your personal and professional life. We are authorized to report
such behavior to your employer.
Repeated failure to comply with your primary health care provider's
instructions is a basis for denial of coverage. XXXHealthcare does not
want to drop you as a customer.
Keep healthy!
Sharon L. Simon Associate,
Health Audit Department
©Copyright 2003 Citizen Advocacy Center. All rights reserved. No part
of this lesson plan may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior, written permission.
--HOME
--