Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 16:41:06 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <199907232041.QAA04245@carr10.acpub.duke.edu>
From: belmonte@mit.edu (Matthew Belmonte)
To: CapuanoHR8@aol.com (Mike Capuano)
Subject: support privacy safeguards in HR 10 conference revision

Dear Representative Capuano

HR 10, a banking and securities bill passed earlier this month, must
now be reconciled with a Senate version of the same legislation.
The ACLU has recommended that the following safeguards on privacy be
added in conference:

* Customers should be notified about the types of information that is
  being collected about them.

*  Customers should also be provided an opportunity to ensure that
  information collected for one purpose will not be used for other
  purposes without their knowledge and informed consent.

* The sharing of extremely sensitive financial information, such as
  account numbers, for any purpose should be prohibited absent customer
  consent in each case.

* Congress must make it clear that the financial privacy provisions of
  HR 10 do not preempt more protective state laws.

In addition, HR 10 as it currently stands includes the Ganske Amendment,
a provision that purports to protext the privacy of medical records but
which includes a large list of exceptions that leaves patients with
virtually no privacy.  Please join the ACLU and the American Association
of Retired Persons in opposing the Ganske Amendment.