Quote:
Originally Posted by popper
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Seems fine popper, I would have perhaps indicated that using DPI to read your traffic data is still "processing" "personal and sensitive personal information" and therefore the IC has a duty to enforce DPA 1998 as well as PECR.
Alexander Hanff
---------- Post added at 13:26 ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 ----------
I would love to be a fly at ICO and the Home Office at the moment. I expect they are very carefully trying to figure out how to approach the illegal trials of 2006/2007.
IC: "Well Kent, we have tried very hard to support your technology but the public backlash is unusually well informed on the legal issues revolving around this technology so we need to be seen as doing our job."
Kent: "Yes Richard I can understand that but as I have said, the laws were not designed to stop legitimate business activities."
HO: "The reason we have called you in today Kent is we need to find a method of damage reduction with regards to these trials you did in 2006/2007. Unfortunately this is going to be difficult given the news today that you trialled several hundreds of thousand of users in 2007; information based from your own corporate communications posted on your own website. If it was just the odd member of the public calling for action we could tie it up in red tape but with the likes of ORG and FIPR batting for the consumers and all the negative press from major publishers we just can't see a way out."
Kent: "Well I am not sure what to say there; clearly we had no knowledge that BT were going to use the technology in a manner which contravenes UK law, so I feel that your efforts should be concentrated on BT."
IC: "That is difficult as well, Patricia Hewitt is on the board of directors at BT so we have to try and keep the government happy on this and be careful not to introduce yet another scandal with regards government personnel and privacy issues."
Kent: "Well HO, it would seem that only your office can initiate proceedings under RIPA, surely you can just delay it long enough that people forget?"
HO & IC in unison: "We will see what we can do. At worst it is going to cost you a couple of million in fines, so we will find a suitable outcome in time."
Kent: "Can you issue a gag order on Alexander Hanff to stop him publishing his dissertation about the 2006/2007 trials?"
HO: "I'm sorry, I can't do that Kent. I will phone the chancellor at his University and see if they have any way to suppress the dissertation with academic red tape, but I can't promise anything."
Alexander Hanff