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Phish Food Treats What's KBOO doing so that our member information isn't compromised again? Bruce Silverman's confession

I am the person who made a copy of the Volunteer Contact List. I did not think I was doing anything wrong, as I will explain.

I suggested to a group
of friends, who were thinking of ways to campaign for Board candidates,
that the volunteers are "likely voters", as compared to the members,
only about ten to twelve percent of whom vote. I said this twice in
meetings at which 15-20 people, most of whose own names are on the list,
were in the room. My suggestion is probably in the minutes of those
meetings, which have been posted widely. The point is, if I thought it
was a breech of policy, I wouldn't have done it, and, for those who
think I would willingly breech security, if I still wanted to do it, I
would have done it surreptitiously, wouldn't I?

The
volunteer list is in an unlocked place, easily accessible to anyone,
and many, many volunteers know it is there. Since KBOO is so protective
of the Membership List, but treats the volunteer list the way it does, I
assume the question has been discussed before, and the decision has
been made to leave it as it is, and had been for at least 20 years. If
anyone can cite a law, federal, state or local, that precludes the use
of telephones for such a use, I invite you to do so. If anyone can cite a
regulation, federal, state or local, which precludes such a use, please
do so. If anyone can cite a KBOO by-law which precludes such a use,
please do so. If anyone can cite a KBOO policy which precludes such use,
please do so.

The
Membership List and the Volunteer Contact List are not the same thing.
Most members are not volunteers, and some volunteers are not members.
The security of the Membership List has not been violated, not in any
way.

Telephone
numbers are not copyrighted information, nor are they proprietary. This
issue was settled decades ago when the first independent telephone
directory publishers challenged Ma Bell and won. Many of the volunteers'
numbers are published in the DEX directory. The numbers of almost
everyone in America are easily obtainable on the Internet.We were
authorized to use the Membership List; if we are savvy enough to match
that information to other information that is legally and widely
available, we have done no wrong.

The
phone companies make a distinction among published numbers,
non-published numbers, (which are available by calling Directory
Assistance), and non-listed numbers,(which are neither published not
available from Directory Assistance).

I
would like to make an analogy with the Federal Do Not Call List. It's
not exactly they same situation, no analogy is, but looking at it is
useful. The policy governing that list makes an exception for calls from
a company or institution with which the person being called has, or has
had a relationship. In the present case, KBOO volunteers were calling
KBOO volunteers about a topic related to KBOO. It also makes and
exception for political calls. I'm on the Federal Do Not Call List
myself. Maybe you are, too. I still get calls. I do what you probably
do, too: I hang up. When I get a postcard that I don't want, I toss it,
just as you do. When I get an email I don't want, I delete it. It takes a
second.

Even
so, as soon as I heard that someone objected to being called, I
approached the Volunteer Coordinator. She informed me that one or more
of the volunteer's phone numbers might be unlisted. This was news to me.
To avoid any inconvenience to any such person, I immediately shredded
my copy of the list, and the calls have stopped.

My
first information that someone objected was an email from a volunteer,
who said his friend objected. The email did not specify whether the
friend objected to the use of the Volunteer List for this purpose, or to
the nature of the call. I acknowledge that real politicking is rare ate
KBOO, but if the friend or anyone else is shocked...shocked that a
democratic election at a place like KBOO includes campaigning for
candidates, they just need to re-read the list of values in our
Programming Charter. I defend the practice.

If
the KBOO community wants to change from current practice with regard to
this list, or to establish a policy with regard to this list, to create
a by-law, it certainly can do so, in the usual ways it takes such
actions. Meanwhile, if it is determined that I violated a law,
regulation, bylaw or policy, the Volunteer Coordinator is empowered to
deal with me.6 hours ago