>I think the "danger" of targeted marketing is vastly overstated.

<rant>
At the present, yes. We shall not always be so blessed.

In a contracting situation, I worked briefly with a database of 275,000 
people who had visited one of the local riverboats in their first 9 
months of business. I was sorting and generating non-specific data
(it was illegal to be more specific) but had access to all kinds 
of specific information about the individuals.

I was surprised to see how many people had lost more than
$10,000, and surprised to see a few people had lost well over
$50,000. Data on the people who had only spent $1.00 were
in the database, also. I considered every single name and
address on that list to represent an easy 'sucker', well above
average in their ability to do senseless things with money.

They would be sitting ducks, if I were so inclined as to take
advantage of their weaknesses.

Fortunately, my motives are not financial, although I did keep
a 'backup copy' of that database for a few years, before my
conscience got the better of me, and I destroyed the data.

While paranoia is no solution, being that it creates a whole
new problem of its own, vigilant care is appropriate.
</rant>

-Jared