Free Stuff > Personal Information?

Kendro

Kendro

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LOL, everytime I see free stuff, my H.S. economics class comes to mind (There is no such thing as a free lunch). Anyways, in this case, getting free stuff means we give up not money, but our personal information.

Just wondering, is it mostly harmless signing up for free stuff? I'm not talking about contests like for a free game system from CC or BB. I mean things like a free pack of gum or a razor, where you have to give your mailing addy and other crap.
 
Considering most of mine go to my college address (which will be defunct in another year anyway) and goes to a name that may or may not be my own, I pay it no mind. ;)

Combine with an e-mail address that does nothing but accepts these free things and then tears through the spam and I have no qualms.
 
I got my xbox 360 free...free is good D:

I have an e-mail address i use for bills, an e-mail address for free stuff and another e-mail address for friends and such. On top of that, we live in an age with the internet. If people wanted my personal information they could get it free with a little hard work.

Also most places let you check if you will recieve mail from them, so normally you only have to deal with e-mail spam.
 
I'll address the physical address: I've never gotten anything besides the free item sent to me. As long as it's a reputable company, your physical address seems to only be used to send you the product.

I've gotten a free condom (Trojan), golf balls, shaving razors, coffee, utility razor blades, and countless other free samples in the past few years. I've never heard from them since receiving my stuff (usually not even via E-mail).

Larger and/or reputable companies are fine with sending you a free sample if it makes you a customer. Heck, I remember back in the early 80's Frito-Lay would drop a free bag of chips at everyone's door every once in a while. The neighborhood teens would even sometimes snatch them up from all the houses before the owners got them.
 
I like receiving junk mail to my mailbox. I live in northern Vermont and heat only with wood so any paper I receive helps heat my house. :)
 
Just use a junk email address and fake email address.

Your home address and other info is out there anyways if you have a credit card, school loan or anything else of that nature. They all sell your information to other companies.

Sallie Mae had my middle initial wrong on my loans and after I took them out I started to get so much garbage that had my middle initial in the name, and it was wrong just like SM had it. So for them selling my info I think I will just not pay their loan back:)
 
The way I see it is this.

I don't care if I get junk mail, all I have to do is toss it away.

E-mails? I get enough spam the way it is, so getting more won't bother me. Hell, I won't even notice it.

Phone numbers? I use old ones that I no longer have.

Debit card info? Thank goodness for pre-paid debit cards.
 
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