If you’re frustrated by spam, concerned about identity theft, worried about Big Brother, or want to find companies that will keep your private information private, PrivacyBuilders.com is the place for you. It’s an online community to share ideas and information about privacy issues that affect our everyday lives in ways that are obvious - and not so obvious.

The concept is very cool, and I’m excited to be part of it. Client TJ McDonald launched his Web site just this month. He’s got years of experience in marketing technology, and is the most passionate person I’ve ever met when it comes to standing up for our right as consumers to control who has their hands on our data - data that is in essence the digital version of our life stories.

Business Meets Pleasure
Working with TJ is a remarkable experience. He’s giving me a look behind the curtain at what goes on in the sophisticated world of mass marketing. I’m astounded by how much of our personal data is known, used, and abused - and how negligent most of us are in protecting ourselves.

The Web site still has a ways to go, but one of the key areas we want to develop is our list of PrivacyBuilders Select™ companies. The idea is to make it easy for us to find companies that will respect our privacy, and not share our data without our permission. There’s a cost for companies to join, but it’s quite reasonable, and we believe there are a lot of people in B2C and B2B looking for business partners they can trust.

I’m quite proud that Word Sell is a PrivacyBuilders Select™ company. I must admit, before meeting TJ, I wouldn’t have thought twice about selling or swapping data lists. Now, I wouldn’t even consider it.

If you’re interested in adding your company to the list, click here. If you know of a privacy-honoring company, please let them know about PrivacyBuilders so they can join the movement.

Questions
You can help the cause of privacy right now, because we need your ideas.

• How do you like the PrivacyBuilders site?
• How can we make it better?
• What privacy topics are most of interest to you?