Privacy fears spark UK website censure

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has ordered a website which provides personal information on UK citizens to stop using data from electoral registers published before 2002.

Although such data on b4usearch.com is out of date, it is still unlawful according to the ICO. This is because prior to 2002 individuals had no say in whether the data held on them on the electoral register was sold on to third parties.

But now the ICO is demanding that information be removed, following around 1,600 complaints from concerned UK residents angered by the fact their names and addresses could be easily searched free of charge, as well as maps to their homes and a list of their neighbours.

According to the ICO, one complaint came from a policeman who expressed concerns about the repercussions of his home address being so readily available.

b4usearch.com does offer to remove personal information from its site, though calls to its helpline to request a same-day removal are charged at £1.50 per minute.

An enforcement notice issued by the ICO said: "Following an investigation, the ICO found that the personal information used by the website did not comply with the first principle of the Data Protection Act... that all personal information should be processed fairly and lawfully."

However, Ravindar Singh Banga, a director at b4u.co.uk, operator of b4usearch.com, told silicon.com that he had not seen any such note from the ICO, only a copy forwarded by silicon.com.

He said: "Once we have had an opportunity to see paperwork direct from the ICO the matter will be considered by our in-house legal advisor and we will respond to the ICO at the earliest opportunity.

"We have always followed correct procedure and will ensure that our data processing and display remains within the law. We will of course co-operate with the ICO."

A spokeswoman for the ICO said if the demands of the enforcement notice are not met then b4u will be open to prosecution under the DPA.