Interesting article in the news today:
"A TEST case was being launched today over the legality of local councils
selling information from electoral registers for commercial use. Brian
Robertson decided to bring the High Court challenge as he objects to the loss
of privacy and the junk mail which results from the registers' contents being
sold to various companies, as well as credit reference agencies. Because Mr
Robertson, of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, refuses to put his name on the
register he cannot vote. Today his lawyers are applying to Mr Justice
Maurice Kay for permission to seek judicial review, arguing that his
fundamental democratic right to vote has been violated by being made
conditional on him agreeing to have his name passed on for commercial
purposes, when the franchise should be an absolute right. The lawyers are
challenging Wakefield City Council's practice of passing on the personal
details of local voters without giving them the chance to opt out, saying it
breaches both human rights and data protection laws. "
Given the undeniable right we all have under the DPA and the EC Directive on
data protection to not have our data processed for direct marketing purposes
should we all add the following words to our Electoral Registration form when
it arrives:
"This information is for election purposes only and should not be sold for
any commercial purposes"
or does the current UK law (Representation of the Peoples Act 2000) override
our rights?
Ian Buckland
MD
Keep IT Legal Ltd
Tel: 01246 473999
Fax: 01246 470742
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.keepitlegal.co.uk
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