Hillary Clinton card, gun violence petition help Democrats build data dossier

Introduction

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants people to “say thank you” to Hillary Clinton for her service as secretary of state. Just “add your name” to an online card because it’s “the least we can do.”

Vice President Joe Biden, meanwhile, emailed Friday asking recipients to say, “Yes, I support President Obama’s plan” to reduce gun violence. Do it by registering your name and ZIP code with the Obama for America campaign committee.

Former Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina followed up with another email directing people to submit their names and ZIP codes though a separate online form and “let us know if your members of Congress support the president’s plan to reduce gun violence.”

What do these digital come-ons have in common? Fine print that explains how the committees are granting themselves the right to liberally use personal information in just about any way they see fit.

Obama’s campaign committee, for example, notes in its online privacy policy that it might share your information with “candidates, organizations, groups or causes that we believe have similar political viewpoints, principles or objectives.”

Add “vendors, consultants and other service providers or volunteers who are engaged by or working with us and who need access to such information to carry out their work for us” to the list of entities who might know more about who you are than you think.

Similarly, the DCCC writes in its privacy policy that “from time to time” it “may share personal information with organizations whose issues or goals are similar to our own, and which we believe would interest you.”

The personal information you volunteer for a seemingly specific purpose, such as supporting gun control, might also be paired with other data Democrats and the Obama team keep on you in a massive, digital dossier that’s helped them build a major data advantage over Republicans.

Still want to wish Hillary Clinton well? The State Department’s snail mail address is found here.