Board of Nursing selling your data!

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I have been wondering for years how I get junk mail from people who know that I'm a nurse. And how it kept following me even when I moved. The only thing that made sense was that the mailers were getting the data directly from the MBON. But I couldn't believe that a Maryland State agency would be releasing personal data.

I was wrong! And I didn't even have to call. The MBON is selling mailing list data on their own web site! This is completely outrageous in my opinion.

http://www.mbon.org/main.php?v=norm&p=0&c=services/labels.html

I hope I can at least call and get them to remove my name from the sales list. Don't they have to have a privacy policy? Don't they collect enough in fees from nurses? Am I just crazy that I am annoyed by this?

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I am suprised by this as well. The BON should not be offering this service. I will be calling to remove my name as well.

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I am so surprised about what the BON is doing. It is illegal to sell personal data. They should be punished according to the law!!!

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Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

It's not illegal to sell data that is in the "public domain". Anyone can get onto the BON website and look up my name and confirm the fact that I have a nursing license. My address is also in the public domain, and could quite easily be looked up by anyone curious enough. The BON is selling the "convenience" of having this public domain information compiled into a mailing list. Although I don't necessarily condone the fact that the BON is making money off of me, I don't think they are doing anything legally wrong at all. They are just taking information that is already out their and presenting it in a desirable format. Sucks, but other than politely asking to be removed, I doubt that there is little we can do.

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