[atlarge-discuss] Joey Borda/Bordo Identity & Privacy Concerns [was Re: [atlarge-discuss] Provisional Membership Committee]

[Joey Borda **star*walker** <starwalker@gay.com>]

At 02:35 AM 6/3/2003 -0400, Sotiris Sotiropoulos wrote:
> I received $1 from Mary M. Bordo a verified Paypal member on behalf of Joe 
> Borda/Bordo.  Joey explained that Mary M. Bordo is his mother and that 
> they live together, and that he does not have a credit card or bank 
> account drawn under his own name, but rather goes through his mother as a 
> financial proxy, if you will.  Her address is Paypal confirmed and the 
> street and zip code matches the one on Joe Borda's driver identitification 
> as posted in a .pdf at 
> http://www.icannatlarge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=250  I have verified the 
> postal code via the USPS.
I will use this post to discuss what I believe ought to be the issue of 
reasonable privacy concerns -- and perhaps life and death concerns for 
those living under oppressive conditions -- for all of us regarding any 
identity verification process and its potential public disclosure to the 
potential harm of those examined.

Ultimately, the membership must trust those it authorizes to conduct the 
process, and accept its “verdict” WITHOUT the disclosure of that which it 
used to reach its conclusion and is arguably private.

There is no PERFECT mechanism for verification or verification process. 
Hence, IMO, some BODY within our organization will still have to exercise 
judgement in the acceptance and verification of credentials, whatever they 
may be. Some credentials and other information will be more persuasive than 
others, but cumulatively will lead to a verification conclusion, or not.

So long as such a body preserves to itself, in trust and confidence for the 
membership, the materials and thought processes it uses to reach its 
conclusions then we will be well served.

I believe this body, certainly at least its chair, must be elected by the 
members and the body itself be entirely separate from the panel (or what 
may ultimately become a board of directors for legal purposes).

Some may believe that I am stretching it a bit to make a claim of a “life 
and death concern while living under oppressive conditions.” However, even 
in these days in the USA (of all places) it is still not safe to live as an 
otherwise openly gay man, as it was not in 1967 when a group of young men 
took great fun in entrapping and beating up a young, seemingly 
defenseless,  faggot.

Add to this two real-world power-politics persecutions I’ve experienced at 
the hands of desperate political professionals.

Whether it may seem reasonable or not to others I need what bits of 
anonymity about where I am and who I am I can hang onto. No longer 
rosy-cheeked and naïve I live in the secure knowledge that my existence at 
the hands of others is not secure.

At the same time my inclination is always toward ever-greater 
self-disclosure, as anyone who comes to know me personally or who reads my 
posts here over time or my profile 
(http://www.icannatlarge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=250) will quickly recognize.

In my way, mostly quiet (arguable I suppose) yet talkative, I am happy with 
and proud of who I am and easily share myself.

I think I am in a unique, if paradoxical, certainly ironic, position to 
understand and resonate to privacy issues.

That I believe so wholeheartedly in our attempted organization and its 
potential for our own and world good leads ME now to further erode some 
more of my privacy.

When I created the PayPal account it WAS NOT for the purpose of certifying 
my identification to anyone. It WAS for the purpose of expediting on-line 
payments for products and services.

Therefore I took the most expeditious route possible, not one that was 
meant to prove that Joey Borda/Bordo is who he says he is, either in this 
venue or any other. Hence I submitted to PayPal what was necessary, 
including having the account set up in my mother’s name, Mary M. Bordo, as 
at that time I was using her credit card and my name had not yet been added 
to it.

Subsequent submittal of checking account information to PayPal added to 
that seeming “constructive fiction” as my mother’s name is the lead name 
(mine is in the second position) on the joint account and checks. It is a 
trust account for ME, out of which I make my expenditures.

This all bears on financial information which ideally would remain private 
and confidential -- it alone has potential to harm me -- in a trusted 
committee, were it in fact necessary to flesh out my identity in the first 
place.

> However, I could not obtain a phone number for either the name Bordo or 
> Borda from the phone directory in Henry VA. (which may just mean it's not 
> listed).
Speaking to this will be great fun! I could have provided this information 
earlier had I been asked. Martha Gottlieb and Jeff Holt already have it.

Yes, indeed my (our) phone number is not listed, and furthermore is not in 
any of our names! :) It’s not easy to have privacy, and freedom from sales 
and other harassing calls. And we get to pay $2/month additional for the 
privilege. Funny, though, how the number gets out and the calls come anyway.

The wonderful thing is I recently discovered phone answering software 
(SoftCall; really cheap) that now screens ALL our calls, answers those 
showing a caller ID (in an Aussie-accented voice & style no less), 
announces family and friends, and automatically diverts non-Caller ID’d 
calls to the phone company’s message that the number is no longer in 
service. :)  Don’t you just love it?!

So I now feel free to publish my number: 1-540-489-5011

Just remember that should you call, if you block your caller ID or for some 
phone system reason (e.g. service not available from your area) it does not 
reach us, you will not get through! This is confusing the hell out of 
automated calling systems, whether from desirable callers or not.

Unlike me, my PC is tireless and nothing gets by it. :)

If your caller ID is received you’ll be invited to leave a message. Do so. 
If I am present at my PC at the time and recognize you in some way I will 
likely answer even before you complete your message. If not, I’ll return 
your call after 9:00 PM EDT USA or on Saturday or Sunday during our free 
cell phone minutes (calls to our cell phone are not answered), assuming 
your phone is within the USA. Otherwise, I will use “1010987” long distance 
calling within USA, Canada and Western Europe.

> I am reasonably satisfied with his identity and so I have updated his 
> status at: http://atlarge.ca/membership.html
>
> --Sotiris Sotiropoulos
Amen.

/s/ Joey Borda/Bordo

Tuesday, June 03, 2003 * 11:56 AM EDT USA

starwalker@gay.com
starwalker@starwalker.org
Yahoo! Messenger ID: starwalkeratgaydotcom