I'm playing the Devil's advocate this Friday morning! In a post-Durant world are we really certain that the information that BT is sending by SMS really is "personal data"?
BT might argue that the information was confidential, but that it was not sufficiently "pesonal" to fall within the ambit of the DPA. After all, the account could be a corporate account, or it could be used by someone (or the bill paid by someone) other than the individual to whom the account may have been registered. The information being released by BT appears to relate to the phone bill, which seems to be some way from the Durant test of personal data, which is that the material needs to be biographical or about someone, rather than about something that has a less precise link with an individual.
I agree that BT appear to have acted foolishly in allowing "anyone" to learn of the date that a particular phone account was paid. But I would suggest that BT is closer to breaching the tort of confidence than it is of the DPA.
Just a few thoughts to stimulate the debate!
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
-----Original Message-----
From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thu Feb 02 20:34:07 2006
Subject: Re: BT SMS service
Remember the friend whose bill I checked? Well he called 150 and then
pressed 9 to get straight through to the customer service team.
After telling him that this was a matter for his mobile provider, O2 and
hanging up on him he called O2 and found that the short number belongs to
"SSSN" a subsidiary of BT. He called back and suggested he might be about
to unleash the hounds of hell upon them. He has a sense of the absurd.
This crew had heard of the problem. Apparently they'd had another call
about it this evening. I wonder who that was?
They are referring it to the Data Protection team and senior management in
the morning. My friend is referring it to the UKIC and Ofcom.
And he is passing the baton to a few friends of his.
-----Original Message-----
From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ian Welton
Sent: 02 February 2006 20:05
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [data-protection] BT SMS service
Given that BT consider the service of such importance it apparently
warranted a SMS message to all its SMS subscribers (with perhaps other
marketing material yet to come) I wonder if they will consider the security
issues created sufficiently problematic to report any breaches that occur to
the data subjects affected thereby allowing the data subject to decide if
they constitute a serious enough offence against them to take action?
Or maybe subscribers will be left in the dark and reliant upon subject
access to try and find details of how any experienced compromise was caused.
Ian W
> -----Original Message-----
> From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tim Trent
> Sent: 02 February 2006 17:31
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: BT SMS service
>
>
> I am in the middle of "150" at present and listening to "elevator
> music" between talking to a very pleasant lady who has a colleague
> with her who "knows about the service"
>
> She has asked me if I had my friend's permission to enquire about his
> bill payment. I explained that I did not, but that I would tell him
> this evening, and that he would be angry and would doubtless make a
> formal complaint as well. She did suggest that my enquiry may be
> fraudulent! I was very polite and did not laugh at all.
>
> This is an odd one. I believe that it is Data which, "with other data
> in the possession of..." is capable of identifying a living
> individual. Others may disagree
>
> Terms and conditions are at
> http://www2.bt.com/static/i/btretail/panretail/sms/Terms_condi
> tions.htm
>
> Been on the call 20 minutes so far. I am glad I am not in the smelly
> call box in the village!
>
> We do have BT's data protection guru on this list by the way!
> She's a very nice practical person. I bet no-one asked her about
> this service though.
>
> More when I get the call concluded
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tony Bowden
> Sent: 02 February 2006 17:13
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [data-protection] BT SMS service
>
> On Thu, Feb 02, 2006 at 05:00:33PM -0000, Tim Trent wrote:
> >> I phoned BT to complain, but neither of the two people I talked to
> >> seemed to even be aware of the service, and certainly
> didn't know how
> >> to handle enquiries about the privacy implications of it. I'm
> >> currently waiting for someone more senior to call me back.
>
> > How on earth did you find a number to call?
>
> On the www.bt.com/sms page there's a "terms and conditions" link.
>
> Buried in that page (para 10) there's mention of their "Customer Care
> line on 0800 800947"
>
> That doesn't really seem to be a Customer Care line though, as the
> first person I spoke to said he'd have to pass the enquiry onto
> Customer Care.
>
> And of course, 45 minutes later, I still haven't received my
> "15 to 20 minutes" response ...
>
> Tony
>
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