I don't feel comfortable telling them (or anyone else) my total family annual income, what kinds of cars I drive, and what kinds of medical problems members of my family have.

But I have a feeling that some of the same people on this board who were upset at the intrusive U.S. Census form will be more than happy to give up personal info to some strangers on an internet page for $3.30.

If a stranger came up to me on the street and asked these SAME questions, I'd tell them to p*ss off and if they didn't I'd take stronger action.

I KNOW - you can use false info on their form as I did on my local grocery 'frequent-shopper card'. But, having all of this private info (true or false) tied to my ISP gives me a problem.

Did you know that many companies PAY one of several major internet 'search' companies to search the public posting boards such as Chipboard.com (and millions of others) for key words? Insurance companies, Airlines, Drug and Auto manufacturers, and many others want to know what is 'being said' about them in cyberspace.

Example - If you are involved in a major lawsuit (of the class-action type) with a drug manufacturer, ASK your attorney if it is a good idea to discuss your personal situation, symptoms, and medical problems in a public chat forum on the internet.

Just my NTBHO,

Steve in Albuquerque