An Exploration Into Personal Privacy (UK)

[engine]

Privacy campaigners are convinced that big companies, from Google to Tesco, know too much about us - and are not careful enough with our data. We asked a young Londoner to find out what three big organisations knew about him.

Dan Senior used to be a lawyer but gave up the legal world to go travelling. Right now, he lives an easy-going life with his girlfriend in their flat in London's Bethnal Green. He spends a lot of time online playing poker and using Google for his searches. He also holds a Tesco Clubcard - and he travels on the London Underground quite a bit, using an Oyster card.

That means Tesco, Google and TFL, the Oyster card operators, know quite a lot about where Dan goes, what he buys and where his net surfing takes him.

An Exploration Into Personal Privacy (UK)
[news.bbc.co.uk]

I always find these stories remind me to look into firms that store data.

For years now I've been removing my name form direct mail databasesn and I always check where and how my details will be used, releasing them rarely. I always ask why someone else needs to have any personal details on their records. If I don't get a satisfactory explanation, they don't get it as I feel more comfortable about the data being private.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

There is a similar article in this month's PC Pro. Here in the UK the Data Protection Act of 1998 defines rights of access to personal data. See [opsi.gov.uk...]

If you want to see what personal data Google or anyone else holds about you you can insist on seeing this and they are legally obliged to comply with your request. It would be interesting to test this.

[Essex_boy]

Primary schools (6 - 10yr olds) are finger printing and taking eye scans from students for 'security' purposes, oddly enough when I was at school we survived with out these....

My real worry is this, anti terrorism law has been used against protesters in this country 163 arrest at the Labour party conference all were outside protestors, none were charged.

We are seeing the rise of the police state, ladys and gentleman.

[engine]

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[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Getting back on topic, this months PC Pro magazine contains a report in which the writer says that last year he asked Google to reveal all the personal information that it held on him (as was his right under the UK DPA). At first they refused but when he insisted on this they provided a "perfunctory list" of times and dates that he had logged into his Google account.

[vincevincevince]

I wonder what details they are obliged to cough up about your Adsense account and your Webmaster Tools account, assuming they are operated as personal accounts. As I understand it, the DPA is not just about information you provide, but about all information which is recorded, calculated or otherwise added to your record. Shouldn't that include the actual reason behind a penalty, a ban, or perhaps even smart pricing?