Liberal Party buying private email addresses?

[Merry]

I just received an email from my local Liberal Candidate, introducing herself and asking for a donation.

The problem is I have NEVER given the Liberal Party my private email address. For that matter, I've never given ANY political party my private email address. I have a Hotmail address that I always give to anyone other than the Government, my bank, and personal friends. So the question becomes, HOW did the Liberal Party of Canada get hold of my private email address?

I'm always very careful who I give my private email address to, in order to avoid getting spam. And, for the most part, it works. I rarely get any Spam in my private email. Which means that for the Liberal Party to get the address (and use my real name in the introduction) they must have come by it illegitimately.

I think it's time we started demanding more transparency from political parties about how they collect and use our private information. In fact, it's PAST time!

[fluffy]

If that was me I'd question the candidate directly. And repeatedly if it goes unanswered. We had trouble here in Penticton during the last federal election with a candidate gaining entry to condo and apartment buildings with "No Soliciting" signs posted at the entry and then proceed to knock on doors throughout the whole building. Not cool.

[Hurtlander]

I just received an email from my local Liberal Candidate, introducing herself and asking for a donation.

The problem is I have NEVER given the Liberal Party my private email address. For that matter, I've never given ANY political party my private email address. I have a Hotmail address that I always give to anyone other than the Government, my bank, and personal friends. So the question becomes, HOW did the Liberal Party of Canada get hold of my private email address?

I'm always very careful who I give my private email address to, in order to avoid getting spam. And, for the most part, it works. I rarely get any Spam in my private email. Which means that for the Liberal Party to get the address (and use my real name in the introduction) they must have come by it illegitimately.

I think it's time we started demanding more transparency from political parties about how they collect and use our private information. In fact, it's PAST time!

The only legitimate way a political party could have anyone’s private email address is if you accidentally used your private email account, rather than your public email account, to send an email to an MP belonging to that party at some point in the past.....

[The Green Barbarian]

I just received an email from my local Liberal Candidate, introducing herself and asking for a donation.

The problem is I have NEVER given the Liberal Party my private email address. For that matter, I've never given ANY political party my private email address. I have a Hotmail address that I always give to anyone other than the Government, my bank, and personal friends. So the question becomes, HOW did the Liberal Party of Canada get hold of my private email address?

I'm always very careful who I give my private email address to, in order to avoid getting spam. And, for the most part, it works. I rarely get any Spam in my private email. Which means that for the Liberal Party to get the address (and use my real name in the introduction) they must have come by it illegitimately.

I think it's time we started demanding more transparency from political parties about how they collect and use our private information. In fact, it's PAST time!

Merry - did you use your email address for any sort of government communication - like filing with the CRA or Service Canada? If so, I would bet that is where this person was able to access your email. I wouldn't put anything past the Liberals. This is definitely an invasion of your privacy. If others are having this same experience it's time to go to the media and embarrass these clowns. I would say that they would be subject to some sort of legal action, but these are Liberals, so good luck getting any satisfaction on that front. Liberals - just so dirty and scummy!

[crookedmember]

There's no such thing as a 'private email address.'

You used your 'private email address' for something, sometime, and it ended up on a list that was sold.

Same way the CPC got my 'private cell number' and keeps sending me texts from 'Patricia' asking "Can we count on your support? Reply Y or N."

Since there's no "Go bleep yourself, Patricia" option, I remain silent.

[Sparki55]

There's no such thing as a 'private email address.'

You used your 'private email address' for something, sometime, and it ended up on a list that was sold.

Same way the CPC got my 'private cell number' and keeps sending me texts from 'Patricia' asking "Can we count on your support? Reply Y or N."

Since there's no "Go bleep yourself, Patricia" option, I remain silent.

It's illegal.

https://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home

Please report every instance to help the fight against unsolicited texts and emails.

[crookedmember]

There's no such thing as a 'private email address.'

You used your 'private email address' for something, sometime, and it ended up on a list that was sold.

Same way the CPC got my 'private cell number' and keeps sending me texts from 'Patricia' asking "Can we count on your support? Reply Y or N."

Since there's no "Go bleep yourself, Patricia" option, I remain silent.

It's illegal.

https://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home

Please report every instance to help the fight against unsolicited texts and emails.

Nope. Political messages are exempt.

[Bsuds]

There's no such thing as a 'private email address.'

You used your 'private email address' for something, sometime, and it ended up on a list that was sold.

Same way the CPC got my 'private cell number' and keeps sending me texts from 'Patricia' asking "Can we count on your support? Reply Y or N."

Since there's no "Go bleep yourself, Patricia" option, I remain silent.

You can use a number blocker on your phone. Any unsolicited calls I get are immediately blocked, especially political ones.

[crookedmember]

You can use a number blocker on your phone. Any unsolicited calls I get are immediately blocked, especially political ones.

Yes you can! Unfortunately, "Patricia" uses a lot of numbers.

[bob vernon]

Block political calls? I always tell the Conservatives that I haven't made up my mind yet, even though I'd never vote for them. They keep calling back every few months.
All political parties have a copy of the voters list. And every party puts a symbol beside your name on their list. You are either committed to them, leaning toward them, undecided, leaning to somebody else, committed completely to somebody else if they can get you to tell them. I lie. I lie like a sidewalk.

[Hurtlander]

It's illegal.

https://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home

Please report every instance to help the fight against unsolicited texts and emails.

Nope. Political messages are exempt.

I guess this is information a paid digital influencer working for a political party would know.

[Merry]

The only legitimate way a political party could have anyone’s private email address is if you accidentally used your private email account, rather than your public email account, to send an email to an MP belonging to that party at some point in the past.....

IF that’s how they got my email, it’s still illegitimate in my opinion. Because writing to a Government Official does NOT automatically grant that Official permission to hand over your name and email address to a Political Party.

The Government is a separate entity; one which represents ALL Canadians. And they have no right to hand over your personal contact information to ANYONE outside of Government.

[Merry]

If that was me I'd question the candidate directly. And repeatedly if it goes unanswered. We had trouble here in Penticton during the last federal election with a candidate gaining entry to condo and apartment buildings with "No Soliciting" signs posted at the entry and then proceed to knock on doors throughout the whole building. Not cool.

I’ve sent an email asking how they obtained my private information. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not they reply

[Merry]

There's no such thing as a 'private email address.'

You used your 'private email address' for something, sometime, and it ended up on a list that was sold.

Same way the CPC got my 'private cell number' and keeps sending me texts from 'Patricia' asking "Can we count on your support? Reply Y or N."

Since there's no "Go bleep yourself, Patricia" option, I remain silent.

I suspect you’re right about it being on some sort of email list that was up for sale on the Dark Web. But the point is SHOULD political parties be buying such lists from such questionable sources?

I would have thought that Governments, and folks hoping to form Government, would be doing what they can to prevent folks from acquiring and selling peoples private information. Not encouraging such behaviour by supplying them with business!

[Merry]

It's illegal.

https://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/home

Please report every instance to help the fight against unsolicited texts and emails.

Nope. Political messages are exempt.

If they get your email address legitimately, the Law DOES allow Political Partys to send unsolicited emails (which it shouldn’t IMO). But does the Law allow them to obtain yor email address from Government mailing lists? (I doubt it). Or from mailing lists being sold on the dark web?

If it does, it shouldn’t!