Well damn. This temporary part-time data entry thing has been hard on my body, but we needed the cash so I was trying to just push through. But now they’re asking me to do something unethical.
You know those slips of paper you fill out in stores to enter drawings, that have a place for you to check to consent to being added to their mailing lists? I’m sitting here with hundreds of those slips of paper from a large store. The number of people who have checked that box is pretty much non-existent. I’m supposed to enter all of them in the database to be added to the snail and email mailing lists anyway. There is absolutely no way to say whether or not the person consented—consent is assumed.
While I don’t give out information unless I’m willing to have it used, I hate dishonesty. Having that “add me to your mailing list” box implies that the addresses will not be added to a mailing list unless it is checked. And this is a Very Big Store—not some crappy little outfit. They have a good reputation, so few people would hesitate to give them private information.
But anything sent to these addresses for people who didn’t consent is spam. And I don’t help spammers.
Dammit.
