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Believe it or not, there's a bill pending in the Senate that would block States from protecting the privacy of consumers. A chief supporter of this bill is Citigroup, the banking conglomerate, according to this story.

In a hilarious act of "making it personal," a group that's in favor of tighter privacy legislation hired a skywriter to write part of the social security number of Citigroup's chief executive in the sky over New York City.

According to this WIRED story, Citigroup has spent $4.6 million lobbying on the bill. That goes to show you just how much of a threat new privacy laws pose to Citigroup's profits.

To many banks, a customer is just a number... just another opportunity to sell your data to a direct marketing firm or business branch that will try to interrupt your day and sell you yet another financial "product." And your social security number? That's for sale, too.

Unfortunately, as States try to answer consumer demand for increased privacy, banks and other institutions are fighting it tooth and nail. Why? Because consumer privacy is bad for business. If they can't sell your customer profile, they lose money. And they don't like that. They don't want to have to engage in permission marketing, after all.

Meanwhile, their PR and marketing departments are going to keep explaining to you in colorful brochures and fancy language just how much they respect your privacy. Just sign right here, on the dotted line, and don't read all that legal language.

Analysis: Financial institutions play the two-faced tango by promising you privacy while lobbying lawmakers to eliminate laws that protect it.

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About the author: Mike Adams is a holistic nutritionist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored more than 1,500 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a manufacturer of mercury-free, energy-efficient LED lighting products that save electricity and help prevent global warming. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter software currently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and pursues hobbies such as Pilates, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening.


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Related Articles: • The Federal Reserve Plan: Steal the Value of Your Money and Give It to Banks • The Still Unsolved Problem of the Economy • Banks Do Not Keep Reserves	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/000345_banks_personal_privacy_Social_Security.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/000345_banks_personal_privacy_Social_Security.html">Banks Talk Privacy, But They Actually Sell Your Private Data And Fight Privacy Legislation</a>