US company to gather Irish data

dahamsta · 15-10-2003 1:03am #1

US company to gather Irish data
Tuesday, October 14 2003
by Ciaran Buckley

A US-based data research company has announced that it is to expand its data sets to include personal information on the residents of European countries.

LocatePlus, which is based outside Boston, is a business-to-business and business-to-government provider of public information. The company has over 12,000 clients, of whom over 3,000 are affiliated with the US government.

The expansion will add information from nine jurisdictions including Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway and Spain.

LocatePlus compiles information on people's current and historical addresses, contact details and their significant property transactions.

"We have a relational database that can show you your whole life," said Steven Silva, vice-president of business development at LocatePlus, speaking to ElectricNews.net. "I can see where I've lived, who I've lived with, the property I've bought and the cars I've owned."

[...]

scojones · 15-10-2003 9:25am

But Silva was quick to point out that LocatePlus was bound by the "appropriate use" clauses of both US and European data protection legislation. "Appropriate use" clauses require that information only be used for the purposes for which it was gathered.

What is the purpose for this information to be gathered?

Floater · 15-10-2003 4:25pm

"It's OK to sell information from the electoral rolls, as long as it's being used to organise an election or to select people for jury service," said Sean Sweeney, senior compliance officer at the Data Protection Commissioner's Office speaking to ElectricNews.net.

According to Mr Sweeney it would be an offence to sell information that is confidential and that could cause harm to the person whose details are being sold. However, if the offenders have no presence in the Irish state then they cannot be prosecuted under Irish data protection laws.

As the activities and apparently criminal intentions of this organization are now in the public domain, the state agencies who hold such information (eg local authorities, Land Registry etc) will surely refuse to supply it on the grounds that they intend to break Irish law?

Floater

Lemming · 15-10-2003 4:28pm

Originally posted by sjones
What is the purpose for this information to be gathered?

Didn't you hear sjones? Rumsie, Wolfie, and monkey-boy are convinced that everyone is a terrorist :rolleyes: *

* please note the rather heavy undertones of sarcasm in this post

scojones · 15-10-2003 4:41pm

Everyone knows there's no terrorists in ireland!

henbane · 19-10-2003 2:12am

"Appropriate use" clauses require that information only be used for the purposes for which it was gathered.

Isn't that a little like saying they can do what they please with it? Methinks it might be time to find out if the Data Protection Act is being properly applied to companies within Ireland who will no doubt be jumping at the chance to sell information to these people.

Who trusts a U.S. company that has to deal with things like the Patriot Act and such? Wasn't the DMCA recently used to force journalists to reveal their sources in the Adrian Lamo case without having to jump through the usual hoops mandated by U.S. legislation.

ecksor · 19-10-2003 12:14pm

Originally posted by henbane
Isn't that a little like saying they can do what they please with it?

Not really. Data is seen to be obviously gathered for the proper administration of your relationship with the customer, such as billing. If you wish to do anything else, you must get explicit consent at the time you gathered it. You can ask for consent later, but in Ireland at least there is a restriction on how often you can ask that question (6 months iirc).

Capt'n Midnight · 19-10-2003 1:08pm

Anyone know those sites that show driving license details ?

Once the info is on computer there is the possibility of leakage - and then who is responsible and how accountable are they and will there be any punishment, esp if it was a company with close ties to the Bush administration...

henbane · 19-10-2003 4:44pm

Originally posted by ecksor
Data is seen to be obviously gathered for the proper administration of your relationship with the customer, such as billing.

Doesn't that involve trusting companies who gather information when you give them your custom? Plausible deniability is something companies seem to be awful fond of. Been looking in to one shot internet credit cards for exactly this reason. Remember U.S. companies are currently operating under an administration that is trying to force libraries to compile and reveal information about borrower's habits.

ecksor · 19-10-2003 4:52pm

Originally posted by henbane
Doesn't that involve trusting companies who gather information when you give them your custom? Plausible deniability is something companies seem to be awful fond of.

Yes. All I'm saying is that the law isn't as vague as you suggested. I don't see where plausible deniability enters into it.

The homeland security laws in the US that you mention are definitely at odds with this, but it doesn't fall under data protection laws as I understand it. I believe that the UK has similar loopholes if you are suspected as being a threat to national security.

The trust issue is for anyone to decide for themselves when they submit information to a third party. I tend not to just think about whether a company has good intentions, but whether they have the ability to adequately protect such information. At the end of the day, most people are far too free with their information anyway.

henbane · 19-10-2003 8:33pm

Originally posted by ecksor
All I'm saying is that the law isn't as vague as you suggested. I don't see where plausible deniability enters into it.

I know european law isn't vague in this regard. I think plausible deniability comes in to it when a company is selling your information after they have claimed they won't - maybe I'm just a big conspiracy theorist, I refuse loyalty cards from shops.

The trust issue is for anyone to decide for themselves when they submit information to a third party. I tend not to just think about whether a company has good intentions, but whether they have the ability to adequately protect such information. At the end of the day, most people are far too free with their information anyway.

As far as the lack of security issue goes I agree with that. There are far too many companies collecting customer data these days to assume that they're all taking proper precautions to protect it and ensure it's only being used for the purposes stated in the T&Cs.

I also don't know why so many online shops feel that you must have an account before you can use them. They only need your details to clear payment and they should only need to keep them until the delivery has been confirmed.

Almost ready to drift off on some long paranoid identity theft rant but I won't.

Webmonkey · 21-10-2003 8:21pm

Originally posted by Lemming
Didn't you hear sjones? Rumsie, Wolfie, and monkey-boy are convinced that everyone is a terrorist :rolleyes: *

* please note the rather heavy undertones of sarcasm in this post

Not eVerybody....

H.R.3162 - American Patriact

SEC. 802. DEFINITION OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM.

(a) DOMESTIC TERRORISM DEFINED- Section 2331 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--

(1) in paragraph (1)(B)(iii), by striking `by assassination or kidnapping' and inserting `by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping';

(2) in paragraph (3), by striking `and';

(3) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and inserting `; and'; and

(4) by adding at the end the following:

`(5) the term `domestic terrorism' means activities that--

`(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;

`(B) appear to be intended--

`(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

`(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

`(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and

`(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.'.

(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT- Section 3077(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

`(1) `act of terrorism' means an act of domestic or international terrorism as defined in section 2331;'.

Sorry i couldn't help myself

US company to gather Irish data

Comments