# I think that NPR is giving out my address. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 26, 2002, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-npr-is-giving-out-my-address/138854 "2002-11-26T06:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-npr-is-giving-out-my-address/138854/1 "2002-11-26T06:55:17Z")
I really enjoy NPR. I love the how it caters to my short attention span by having multiple interesting stories and features every hour. Even though it is at times disgustingly biased in some of its stories, I still love it more often then not. So, wanting to support something I like (even though I would vote to deny them all government money in a heartbeat), I started donating about a year ago. Now I am starting to get requests for money from… The ACLU Doctors Without Borders And Habitat for Humanity Hmmm… I am a life long conservative Libertarian Republican… I wonder how these people got the idea to start sending me requests? ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-npr-is-giving-out-my-address/138854/2 "2002-11-26T13:50:11Z")
That sounds pretty skeezy. I say you write out a small check , say $5 or so, and make it out to the American Cunning Linguists University. Mail it in to the ACLU. See if that doesn’t get you taken off their lists. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-npr-is-giving-out-my-address/138854/3 "2002-11-26T15:54:38Z")
I’ve gotten the same thing, **Maud’Dib**. And I agree with your viewpoint on NPR 100% (support what I like, no government money). As for the other stuff, like most junk mail, it gets instantly trashed. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-npr-is-giving-out-my-address/138854/4 "2002-11-26T16:20:14Z")
Those donor lists are damn all valuable this time of year. As a guy who buys and sells lists I’ll betcha that information got sold. It can be a pretty large alternate revenue stream. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-npr-is-giving-out-my-address/138854/5 "2002-11-26T16:39:18Z")
I didn’t know you could give money to _NPR_. Are you donating to them, or to your local public broadcaster? Our public radio station has a box to check on the membership form saying, “Please do not share my name and address with other organizations” or something along those lines. I’m not sure what privacy policy (if any) NPR would have. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-npr-is-giving-out-my-address/138854/6 "2002-11-26T21:22:56Z")
I can tell when organizations are giving out my name and address-- because I use half a dozen pseudonyms and variants on my names. There’s also the old Middle Initial trick. For NPR, your name would be Muad’ N Dib For United Way, Muad’ U Dib. Get an envelope from a charity and it’s not a tax receipt? Into the recycling it goes-- and an angry call to original group may follow, depending on my whim. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-npr-is-giving-out-my-address/138854/7 "2002-11-26T21:41:53Z")
I started receiving mail from liberal-type charities (Planned Parenthood, feed the hungry 3rd world children, the environment, PBS, etc.) a few months ago. It was very noticeable because I haven’t lived here long and don’t receive much mail. The time I had recently given out my address was to re-register to vote. Is it possible that these charities are given access to my info from the voter rolls?