Buying/Trading Member Databases

[The Equivocate]

I have been looking for some wrestling forums to buy out and redirect to my own, when it occured to me that instead of just redirecting, I could take their member database and merge it into my own. I'm sure people have done this many a-time.

But what if you wanted to buy or trade a member database with a site that will remain open? Let's say I owned ForumA.com and he owned ForumB.com, and we each have 2000 members. We trade databases with each other, which then ups our member count to 4000 each. We can then email these members notifying them of the change.

On the same page, I could just buy their db from them, and gain 2,000 members.

1) Have you ever done this?
a) If so, did it improve activity drastically?
b) Did the new members complain that they didn't want to be added to this new site?
2) Do you think it's ethical to use their database to then email these members to let them know they are now a part of this site?

[Bigwrenn]

IMO it seems unethical to more or less force someone to join the other site. Some may even take offense to this and never return. To each his own though .

[C.Birch]

you would be breaking laws by doing it, as you would be giving out peoples personal information to others with out there say so.

its like you buying something from a shop and them giving your info out to a other shop with out your say so and then that other shop bugging you with call's. eg you giving your members database to a other site and then that other site might send a news letter out everyweek.

[Dean C]

If you buy a business, for example Corel buying Jasc, you gain access to their resources. How is that illegal?

[AN-net]

this is not illegal but very unethical and if you respect your members and the memebers of the other site you would not buy out their user database and intergrate it into yours. i just find very unethical and i would never do such a thing, its kind like diabloworld.com where Morgalis sold the site but not the database and i respect her for that

[Erwin]

It could be illegal depending on your privacy policy - if you state that in your privacy policy that you will not provide their info to 3rd parties without their permission, you can't do it or risk being sued for breach of confidentiality/ contract.

[Rose]

Now, technically the site buying the list would have done nothing wrong. If they bought and paid for legally the member list of another site, active or not, and merged it with their site it would technically be fine. The only one needing to worry is the selling site, as they would have to make sure it doesn't violate their policies in writing as well as the actual member's responsibility to read all the fine print.

That said, it also sounds like merging member list databases could have it's own set of technical problems, but I suppose a few hours of editing sql statements before merging might smooth this part of it out.

Companies sell information all the time -- some companies you might be a part of, and some you might not be. The addition of the Do Not Call list has probably helped decrease the practice, but nonetheless companies still sell your informaion. Not all companies, some credit cards, some banks, charities, etc etc. Some will "sell" your information to no one other than their own affiliates, but it turns out they are a huge conglomerate with dozens or more affiliates ... all pandering their product to you through your address/number purchased off a list.

*shrugs* Not saying it's right or wrong, but it happens offline and it most likely already happens online. The seller is the one that has to worry about the legalities, the buyer just need to make a good offer and do what's right by them.