Date: Fri 23-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

iinfo-faq

Full Text:

INTERNET INFO FOR REAL PEOPLE: FAQs

By Bob Brand

The word is pronounced "facks." The acronym unfolds into Frequently Asked

Questions.

Usenet newsgroups are the cyber-bulletin boards of the Net. Every day

thousands of new messages are posted while thousands of old postings blast

into oblivion. With this churn, newcomers often ask similar questions. As a

result, someone (usually the moderator) creates a FAQ. Every once in a while

(often bi-weekly), the FAQ is posted to the newsgroup because the previous FAQ

has rolled off the listing.

A Rich Info Vein

The website http://www.faqs.org provides a home for many archived FAQs. The

site offers an unusual fertile source of general information about a wide

variety of topics. Like the Usenet itself, the site is organized via

hierarchies (the big eight and others). Finding the right FAQ can be a bit

confusing to surfers who are not Usenet "newsies." The search engine provides

a viable alternative.

The ALT hierarchy (like Usenet) provides the most diverse and arguably most

interesting source of information on subjects from abuse.recovery to zen and

almost everything in between. These files are text based which means that they

load quickly even on older computers with slow connections to the Net.

Down Memory Lane

If you visit the site and follow this route: alt to alt.privacy to

privacy/ssn-faq, one lands on the Social Security number FAQ maintained by

Chris Hibbert. The opening paragraph sets the stage for the type of

information Hibbert has gleaned from various newsgroups including:

alt.privacy, misc.legal, alt.society.civil-liberty, misc.answers,

comp.answers, alt.answers, news.answers.

He says, "Many people are concerned about the number of organizations asking

for their Social Security Numbers (SSN). They worry about invasions of privacy

and the oppressive feeling of being treated as just a number. Unfortunately, I

can't offer any hope about the dehumanizing effects of identifying you with

your numbers. I can try to help you keep your Social Security number from

being used as a tool in the invasion of your privacy."

The quality of the information here is unusually high. For example, in the 11

page FAQ, the reader learns that when giving out a SSN, you are providing

access to information that you don't have the ability or the legal right to

correct or rebut. A SSN has become a key that can unlock personal secrets. He

suggests that you should fight all attempts to disclose your number.

While some government agencies have a right to request your number, many do

not. Often commercial establishments, schools, utilities, private

organizations, hospitals, doctors, blood banks, and landlords ask for your

number. This is done primarily to make it easy for them. Once you surrender

the SSN, you are then fixed in their databases. Most do not have a right to

demand it and Hibbert suggests alternative ways of identification.

Individuals have very little control over how these institutions use this

data, however, by withholding a SSN, it is significantly more difficult for

them to gather sensitive information about you. This FAQ is a "must read" for

anyone concerned about maintaining privacy. Highly recommended.

How Reliable?

Hibbert signed the FAQ with his PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) signature. My

software confirmed that indeed it is his signature at the bottom of the

article. However, there is no guarantee that nothing was changed in the FAQ

itself. While the chances are low that modifications were made, I sent him

e-mail pointing out this deficiency. It appears that Hibbert wrote all the

words. I point this out because everyone must be alert to pranks, hijinks and

outright misrepresentation on the Web. When it comes to security/privacy

issues, everyone needs to be doubly vigilant.

Other FAQs

While many surfers rush to search engine websites whenever they seek answers,

the FAQ site should be added to the resource base of useful webtools. When it

comes to speed across the Net coupled with a no-nonsense approach to

information presentation, FAQs survive in the graphical world of the Internet

today. Give it a try!

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.faqs.org

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ssn-faq/index.html

(This is the 151st of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the

Internet. Next, "Overclocking" is the subject on tap. Stay tuned. Until next

week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info for

Real People can be found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and

suggestions to: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)