# City Council and Private Citizen Information: a creepy poll

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-council-and-private-citizen-information-a-creepy-poll/631578>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 15, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-council-and-private-citizen-information-a-creepy-poll/631578 "2012-08-15T16:08:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-council-and-private-citizen-information-a-creepy-poll/631578/1 "2012-08-15T16:08:54Z")

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Yesterday, I received in the mail a birthday postcard from a City Councilor to my husband.

Question One:  
How did this city councilor obtain personal information about my husband? We have never met this person.

Question Two:  
Creepy or not creepy?

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-council-and-private-citizen-information-a-creepy-poll/631578/2 "2012-08-15T16:13:50Z")

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Politicians build databases about their constituents. Someone you know may have told him. Or the data may be out there somewhere that could be mined. I used to buy mailing lists and I was surprised at the details you could select about people. And that was a long time ago. If you ever put your birthday down on the internet (remember how your husband proved he was 18 years old for some porn site? Oops, I forgot that was a secret), then someone else can pick it up. Also, your date of birth is available in a lot of public records.

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**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-council-and-private-citizen-information-a-creepy-poll/631578/3 "2012-08-15T16:14:40Z")

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Guess: voting records include birth date, and this information is accessible to public officials, if not to everyone (via Freedom of Information act requests, possibly).

Not creepy, just boring junk mail.

I get a birthday card and work anniversary card every year from the CEO (delivered to my desk, not in the mail). I’m sure his secretary does everything, including possibly signing them. Straight into the trash.  
Roddy