AMTRAK KNOWS WHERE YOU'VE BEEN . . .

To the Editor:

You report that Amtrak shares information about its passengers with the
Drug Enforcement Administration and receives a 10 percent cut of assets
seized from drug couriers (Week in Review, April 15). For the fee, Amtrak,
without being asked or subpoenaed to produce information about any person
in particular, simply reveals all its passengers' names, itineraries and
payment methods to the drug enforcement agency.

What other companies are selling information about their customers to the
government? Does the F.B.I. know what books we buy or what videos we rent?
Does the Internal Revenue Service know about our routine banking practices
or to whom we send overnight letters and packages?

Big Brother appears to be watching more than ever. What's shocking is that
routine information about us is in effect being sold to the government as a
regular part of at least one company's "program." I want to know what other
companies are doing the same thing.

MARK S. ARISOHN

New York, April 16, 2001

The writer is a lawyer.