Political parties, especially at the state level, are constantly in search of adding names and addresses to their voter lists. Usually, both sides play by the rules and acquire information legitimately. Recently, Republicans in Minnesota tried a different approach.
A computer disk that the Minnesota Republican Party prepared to support a ban on gay marriage has another purpose: gathering data on the politics of the people who view it.
And that’s stirred up a technological tempest on the Internet and among Democrats who say the disk will improperly gather data from people who run it on their computers. Privacy experts say they’re concerned that the GOP won’t adequately warn users that it’s collecting the data, and they worry where the information will end up.
I suppose the GOP deserves some credit for being clever, in an underhanded kind of way. The party’s discs invite the voter to pop the CD into their computer in order to see video clips from Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), among other state officials, about the perils of gay marriage and why a constitutional amendment is such a good idea.
In order to see the video clips, however, the CD prompts the user to go to a website and enter an ID code, which in turn tells the state GOP who is watching it. There’s also a poll included with the CD.
The problem, of course, is over privacy.
Along with flashy graphics, the CD asks people their views on controversial issues such as abortion, gun control, illegal immigration, and so on.
The problem — the CD sends your answers back to headquarters, filed by name, address, and political views. No mention of that in the terms of use. No privacy policy at all. The story concludes: “So if you run the CD in your personal computer, by the end of it, the Minnesota GOP will not only know what you think on particular issues, but also who you are.”
The CD, in effect, is propaganda and a surreptitious tool to collect voter data, with no notification for voters.
Thankfully, the Minnesota GOP has been embarrassed by all of this, and will disclose the purpose of the CD from now on. That’s good, but the fact that the party would even try this stunt in the first place is disconcerting.