Economist buys alumni CD online

Economist spends $1 for public good

I picked it up for a $1 just to see what information would be included. Lo' and behold it has name, spouse, kids, address, telephone, job description, work address, e-mail, degree earned, and when. I assume that the folks listed gave permission for them to be included, but I wonder if they thought the CD-ROM directory would be sold to a used bookstore and end up on the clearance shelf where anybody could walk away with it for a buck. I am sure that a good identity thief wouldn't need a $1 CD-ROM to get the information. However, the directory does have 13,290 entries, so the cost per name/address would be pretty cheap.

By posting this to my blog, where hopefully it will get picked up and seen by others, I have some added incremental value to his $1. Without a hammer.

Of course, it may do harm to alumni associations and other non-profits that rely on directories for fund raising efforts. Perhaps they will keep them on paper.