Orange - Data usage whilst abroad

ilesmark

Hi all

I have an Orange Pay Monthly contract. Recently I went to France and a few times looked at the BBC WAP news website, while once I looked at a French site which I don't think was WAP optimised. According to the terms of roaming, I certainly expected to pay something for this data usage, but not get charged for nearly 8MB.

Having queried the matter with Orange, their response is that the charging is correct and that I did indeed use this amount of data in France. However, interestingly, when I asked which websites I was supposed to have visited to run up this about of usage, they professed to be unable to tell me - all they were 'able' to let me have was the dates and times. It seems rather odd that they can tell me the charges are correct when they apparently cannot tell me how they were incurred.

Is there any way to get details of the sites I am supposed to have looked at from Orange? I am sure they could find out if I was a terrorist and the police wanted to find out which bomb-making sites I'd been looking at - I said this to them and they agreed with me.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Mark

Jon_01

The info is passed to Orange from the network you roamed on as I'm sure you know.
The info on where you browsed isn't stored as this would be a breach of the data protection act in this country or privacy laws else where. All that's reported to the home network is the amount of data used and when it was used.

ilesmark

Thanks for response. However, given that Orange admitted that if the police wanted to find out which sites I'd been looking at, they COULD supply the info (they even have a police liaison department for this) I am wondering whether this is more a matter of won't supply the info rather than can't on the part of Orange.

Does anyone think a Data Protection Act Subject Access Request would do the trick?

Mark

nomoneytoday

8mb isn't a lot of useage in the scheme of things.

General forum surfing on my phone uses about 20-30 mb an hour, depending on the sites. Using 20mb an hour as a guide that would give 24 mins surfing, so it's probably correct.

I can't see an Telecom company checking specific sites for a £25 charge

Jon_01

ilesmark wrote: »

Thanks for response. However, given that Orange admitted that if the police wanted to find out which sites I'd been looking at, they COULD supply the info (they even have a police liaison department for this) I am wondering whether this is more a matter of won't supply the info rather than can't on the part of Orange.

Does anyone think a Data Protection Act Subject Access Request would do the trick?

Mark

They can get the info for data used in this country, but only at the request of the police (the police liaison department covers a number of issues, not just this).

As for getting the info from roaming networks, that would depend on if the network stored the info in the first place. If they stored it, how long they keep it for. And, most importantly, if they'd be willing to dig through their server files and find it.

You can make a request under the DPA, but the info isn't stored in the UK and you can't compel a network not covered by UK law to do or supply anything under the act. You can ask Orange, Orange can ask the network but they can't force them to go an find the info. . .