Episcopal Relief and Development trolled my blog.

Yesterday my blog was critical of E.R.D. and Amnesty International, and grateful for Sarasota's All Faiths Food Bank, and our local Cat Depot.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earlier this  year I wrote a blog about  my modest investment account, (sponsored by the Church Pension Fund and administered by  Fidelity Investments).

I stated that  F.I.  had confused me with another investor  (remember Mary Gilligan?), and that F.I. seemed unable to correct their own mistake

You may remember that the Church Pension Fund computer system had trolled my blog entry, (because I had mentioned CPF in the title), and had contacted me by e-mail to offer their assistance in "righting the wrong".

You will also remember that I had mixed feelings about CPF's trolling of my blog.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I have discovered that Episcopal Relief and Development also trolls the internet  to search for items which mention them.  (To be truthful, I mentioned Episcopal Relief and Development in my title to see if this would happen).

Indeed it did.  I received the following today in an e-mail. ( I wondered if I should open the e-mail on account of the exotic and wonderful name of the author - fearing that it might be harmful spam).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is what E.R.D. wrote to me today:

Dear Father Povey:

Season’s greetings to you and your loved ones.  I thank you for your previous support of our work in the Middle East.

 Your recent blog post was brought to my attention this morning.  I would like to apologize profusely for this oversight in not keeping your name off of Episcopal Relief & Development’s general mailing list.  I’m currently researching on my end where the breakdown occurred internally.  In the meantime, I have just made sure your record has been removed from our mailing list.

 Your feedback is invaluable to us.  One of our goals is to be as efficient as possible and if there’s any way for us to save money with fundraising costs, then we are all for it.

 Again, I thank you for your past support and greatly appreciate your assistance in making us a better organization.

 Sincerely,

Xerxes

 Xerxes Eclipse

Director, Donor Services

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

On one hand I am grateful for Xerxes Eclipse's prompt and careful reply. 

 

On another hand I get nervous about the trolling abilities of the web.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

In the Episcopal Church we often begin our Communion services with a 16th century prayer (with earlier roots) which we call "The Collect for Purity".

 

It starts thus:

 

Almighty God unto whom all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hid.... 

 

 

I like the idea that no secrets are hidden from God.  It reminds me that I can be utterly honest in the presence of God, knowing that I do not  need to keep any secrets from her/him.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Now I live in a world in which "no secrets are hid".  Every e-mail I write, every website I visit, every blog I compose,  is out there in cyberspace for ever.  Nothing can be expunged or deleted. It is all "eternally accessible".

 

Which means that a myriad of  national security agencies (in this and other lands) are able to read my e-mails; to search my blog; to check the sites I have visited, and to access my financial records.

 

That is both amazing and fear-inducing.

We (supposedly) have national security.  This means that I have personal insecurity.