> Well, I don't actually intend to make the list of subscriber names public
> ... I feel that the defaults should be to maintain confidentiality...
Certainly reflects my preference.
> The database could include categories which permit people to tell of their
> background, if they wish to do so, as well as their snail-mail addresses,
> etc.
This is one thing. Being generally "public" is something else.
> Call me paranoid, perhaps, but I don't feel I have the right to make
> subscribers "easy pickings" for such things.
This sounds perfectly reasonable and also ethical, to me.
- Mary Carol
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Comments from NativeNet moderator, Gary Trujillo (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us):
Well, about the best I could do would be to limit access to the
database to people who either have themselves made an entry (easy)
or are subscribers to the list (harder). But I may not be able to
get to the project right away, since I have many other things to
work on. For now, though, I'd like to get some idea of how many
folks out there feel having such a thing would be worthwhile, and
what, if any, access restrictions you feel there should be on the
database:
1. permitted only to those who have provided information
about themselves
2. permitted to all subscribers of one of the NativeNet lists
3. permitted to anyone
I'm sorry if it seems a bit strange that I should have asked earlier
what people thought about the confidentiality issue and then announced
rather peremptorily that I don't intend to change my policy of pro-
tecting subscriber names. I guess it might be best if people write to
me privately if you have any thoughts on this subject. I can summarize
the results later.
I know that many subscribers have developed electronic mail relation-
ships of one sort or another, and I'd like to do what I can to facili-
tate further exchanges based on knowing something about one another,
but I just don't want to do such a thing at the cost of making it easy
for people to do studies of the lists for purposes unrelated to our
own without our consent. If anyone thinks I'm making too much of the
matter, please do let me know.
Thanks.