Sen. Barack Obama's supporters "are giving
him more than just record amounts of cash. They also are
providing personal information that may make his donor list the
most powerful tool in U.S. politics," according to Bloomberg.
"Even if the Democratic presidential candidate doesn't
succeed in his White House bid, this data will make Obama a
power broker in the party for years to come. For the interest
groups or Democratic candidates he chooses to sell it to, it
would provide a gold mine of information and access to potential
donors."
Key point: "While in the past, campaigns have cross-referenced lists of
registered voters against other records such as credit-card
purchases or magazine subscriptions to find potential
supporters, Obama's information is more accurate and precise
because it relies on data that donors provide themselves."