----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Bowden" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 4:53 PM
Subject: [data-protection] BT SMS service
> This afternoon, I, along with presumably many millions of other BT
> customers, received an email announcing their wonderful new SMS Self
> Service system. (http://www.bt.com/sms/)
>
> The basic gist is, send an SMS to 64364 asking "Paid <phone number>",
> and they'll reply telling you when the bill for that line was last paid.
>
> There is nothing whatsoever to restrict this to the owner of the phone
> line. You can use this to find out when anyone with a BT line last paid.
>
> 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.
>
> Surely this is a massive breach of Data Protection? I'm considering a
> complaint to OFTEL, but perhaps this is one for the OIC as well?
>
On a slightly different issue, BT and other privatised utilities have come
under fire previously for keeping information about ex-customers and then
using it to specifically target them to invite them to return as a customer.
Whilst one can see that they might want to do this, of course, they are
generally abusing their market position in that, of course, new entrants to
the market don't have the same information.
Nick Landau
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