Politicians And Phone Numbers: Data Mining For Votes

Political campaigns have become increasingly reliant on text messages and cold calls to reach voters. Politicians can obtain your phone number through your voter registration details, which are public information in some states, or by purchasing voter lists from data-mining companies. Additionally, if you've ever participated in a political campaign, donated using your smartphone, or signed electronic petitions, your phone number could be shared with political groups. Social media apps and other free apps on your smartphone could also be a source, as they often collect and share data with third parties. While political campaigns are exempt from the Do Not Call registry, you can reduce unwanted communications by using a burner number or reporting spam messages.

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Voter registration is public information

In some states, voter registration may require a phone number, which then becomes public information. Additionally, if you have participated in any political campaigns, donated using your smartphone, signed petitions, or participated in surveys, you may have unknowingly provided your phone number to these organizations, who can then share this information with third parties.

Social media apps and other apps on your smartphone can also collect and share your phone number with political campaigns. While these apps may provide ways to control what data is shared, it often requires digging into the settings of each app to make any changes. Furthermore, political callers are exempt from the "Do Not Call" registry, making it nearly impossible to prevent your number from being contacted by political campaigns.

To reduce the number of unwanted political calls or messages, you can register your number with the National Do Not Call Registry and report any spam messages or unwanted calls to the FCC. You can also use a "burner number" from services like Google Voice for non-personal communications to shield your real phone number.

Data mining companies sell phone numbers

Political campaigns have been shown to purchase voter lists that have been enhanced with other information, including phone numbers, from data mining companies. This is because cellphone numbers have become a valuable marketing tool, as so much of our online and purchasing behavior can be easily tied to them.

Data mining companies, such as Acxiom and Intelius, collect and sell data to third parties. This is often done with the consent of the user, as people often agree to share their data with third parties when they accept the terms of service of an app or website without reading the full document.

In addition, phone companies like AT&T mine and sell phone data to law enforcement agencies. This data can include phone numbers and the dates and times of calls. While this data is often anonymized, studies have shown that it is possible to identify individuals from this data.

To reduce the number of unwanted political calls and texts, you can register your number with the "Do Not Call" registry and report spam messages to your carrier. You can also use a "'burner number' from a service like Google Voice for non-personal communications to shield your real number.

Phone numbers are shared by third-party apps

Political campaigns have realized that text messaging is the best way to ensure a message reaches its intended audience. Studies suggest that 98% of text messages are read and responded to within three minutes. In comparison, email has a 20-22% open rate and a minuscule 6% response rate, with responses ranging from hours to days. This makes cellphone numbers a valuable marketing tool because so much of our online and purchasing behavior can be easily tied to them.

There are several ways in which political campaigns can get your phone number. For instance, if you have ever participated in any political campaign or donated using your smartphone, signed electronic petitions, or participated in surveys or polls, they will likely have your number. Even if you haven't, any company that you did business with and gave your phone number to could share it with "third parties" because you agreed to these terms buried in the lengthy "terms of service" document. Social media apps are a prime source, but virtually every app that you have installed on your smartphone could have this data-sharing arrangement as part of their terms of service. Just assume any app that is free to use is one that likely collects and shares its data with third parties.

Additionally, politicians frequently exempt themselves from the rules they create. For example, political callers do not have to check against the National Do Not Call registry. They can also employ robocalling, where they dial every phone number in an area code, to reach everyone in a given area.

Your voter registration is also public information and is available to political campaigns. Depending on your state, your voter registration may require a phone number or other public records that anyone can access. They pay good money to get voter lists that have been enhanced with other information, including both public and private sources.

Third-party apps can also access your phone number and other contact information. When you grant an app contact access, it can potentially see all the information in your contacts app, including phone numbers, physical addresses, job titles, anniversaries, and birthdays. In iOS, third-party apps with permission can access any contact field, except for the Notes section, which requires additional approval from Apple. More than 70% of the apps studied connected to at least one tracker, and 15% connected to five or more. One in four trackers harvested at least one unique device identifier, such as a phone number or its device-specific unique 15-digit IMEI number. These identifiers are crucial for online tracking services because they can connect different types of personal data provided by different apps to a single person or device.

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Manual texting doesn't require prior consent

Political campaigns have become increasingly reliant on text messaging as a marketing tool, as studies suggest that 98% of text messages are read and responded to within three minutes. This is compared to a 20-22% open rate for emails, which have a minuscule 6% response rate. As a result, political campaigns have invested heavily in obtaining cellphone numbers for their marketing campaigns.

There are several ways in which political campaigns can obtain your phone number. Firstly, if you have participated in any political campaign, donated using your smartphone, signed electronic petitions, or participated in surveys or polls, they often collect your phone number. Additionally, any company you do business with may share your phone number with third parties, as outlined in their terms of service. Social media apps and other apps on your smartphone are also likely sources of data sharing.

Another way political campaigns access phone numbers is through voter registration lists, which may require a phone number or other public records that anyone can access. Furthermore, they may purchase voter lists that have been enhanced with additional information from public and private sources.

It is important to note that political campaigns are exempt from the "Do Not Call" registry. However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established rules regarding political campaign robocalls and robotexts. These rules state that robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones require prior consent. Additionally, political campaigns must honor requests to revoke consent.

While the FCC rules apply to automated systems, it is important to note that no prior consent is needed if campaigns are manually texting from another cellphone. This means that a campaign worker can send a text message from their cellphone without obtaining prior consent. However, if you receive a message that you believe is spam, you can forward it to 7726 (SPAM) on any carrier to report the sender.

To reduce the number of unwanted text messages from political campaigns, you can consider obtaining a "'burner number' from services like Google Voice. This will allow you to shield your real phone number and provide an alternative for non-personal communications.

Political robocalls to landlines are allowed without prior consent

Political campaigns have been known to obtain voters' phone numbers through various means, including voter registration lists, which may be public information, and purchasing voter lists from third parties. Additionally, if you have ever participated in a political campaign, donated using your smartphone, signed electronic petitions, or taken part in surveys or polls, you may have unknowingly provided your number to these organizations.

While it is challenging to prevent your phone number from being acquired by political campaigns, it is important to understand your rights regarding their use of your information. Political campaigns are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry; however, there are specific rules they must follow under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

When it comes to robocalls and robotexts, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established regulations to protect consumers. In general, political robocalls to mobile phones require prior express consent, and this consent can be revoked at any time. On the other hand, political robocalls to landlines are permitted without prior consent, but there are limitations. According to FCC rules, political campaigns are limited to no more than three calls to a particular residential landline within any consecutive 30-day period without prior consent. Additionally, these calls must include certain identification information, such as the name of the individual or entity initiating the call, and provide a way for the recipient to opt out of future calls.

To reduce the number of unwanted political calls, you can register your number with the National Do Not Call Registry, although political callers are exempt from this list. Alternatively, you can use a "burner number" from services like Google Voice for non-personal communications to shield your real phone number.

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