FROM TEXAS TO THAILAND: ONE MAGAZINE'S JOURNEY

It's more than 9,000 miles from Houston, Texas to Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok, but that's how far this April 2009 copy of Men's Journal magazine traveled. It's another example of a subscriber copy ending up for sale on the streets of Thailand - complete with name, address and subscriptions details of the original owner. Other examples I have blogged about recently are here and here.
In this case the owner, a globe-trotting executive, came to Bangkok on business earlier this month and left the magazine in an airport lounge at Suvarnabhumi. It then found its way to Chatuchak where I was able to buy it for 20 baht.
I was able to contact the original using just the information on the address label and Google. With that information I could also access the publisher's subscription customer service website and amend, redirect or cancel his future magazines. Obviously there are privacy and security issues by having so much information freely available.
In an email the rather shocked original owner of the magazine told me: "I've learned my lesson. Amazing."