(keitai-l) Re: NTT DoCoMo's "Foreigner Tax" Protest

From: Nick May <nick_at_kyushu.com>
Date: 06/18/02
Message-id: <fc.000f761000070b9f3b9aca00c962b646.70ba0@kyushunet.com>
keitai-l@appelsiini.net

Any discrimination based on profiling and prior probability of default
must be targetted as cleanly as possible to pick out only the group that
is a problem.

While I agree that 1) we do not have sufficient information and 2) we
should not require that Docomo put in place an expensive screening
method, I am skeptical that it is legitimate to target "all persons with
non permanent visa status". There are many other types of visa and
statuses, job information is available to Docomo, length for which bank
account is held, etc. A credit card number should also be sufficient to
cover most cases.

In short, lots of easily available information that Docomo could use for
screening.

That said, if the problem IS distributed fairly clearly across the group
"non-permanent residence foreigners" then I regard their actions as
legitimate. 

But then, it is just another reason to not pick DOCOMO. AU are giving
away (0yen) the little 6.5man col TFT screened Sony Erricson phones with
a min 6month contract of total value 21,000yen (35 min/month outgoing). 

Nick
Received on Tue Jun 18 06:48:38 2002