DATA protection Grrrrrrrrrrrh!

gatita

I am sick to death of the so called Data protection rigmarole. Now a days you cannot just ring an utility company with a simple query without
being interrogated at length, name address date of birth (how DARE they!) and telephone number. Does anyone else get mad about this?

All this is an excuse to gather information about people and use it to their advantage in my opinion. They say it is to "protect me" what a laugh. This does not happen anywhere else...........just the U.K. as per usual. It INFURIATES me.

rant over! feel better now

McKneff

Good, and breathe....................................

Super_Daz

Its a pain in the neck but it actually is for your own protection.

Tiddlywinks

gatita wrote: »

I am sick to death of the so called Data protection rigmarole. Now a days you cannot just ring an utility company with a simple query without
being interrogated at length, name address date of birth (how DARE they!) and telephone number. Does anyone else get mad about this?

All this is an excuse to gather information about people and use it to their advantage in my opinion. They say it is to "protect me" what a laugh. This does not happen anywhere else...........just the U.K. as per usual. It INFURIATES me.

rant over! feel better now

You have a severe case of paranoia - the DPA is a piece of legislation brought in to protect the individual.

Companies cannnot just gather information for the hell of it and use it to their advantage... before getting your panties in a twist, why not get the FACTS:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Then, if you feel the company is holding too much of your data or using it inappropriately then complain - to them, not an ill-informed rant to complete strangers on an internet forum.

JimmyTheWig

gatita wrote: »

All this is an excuse to gather information about people and use it to their advantage in my opinion.

Surely they know all this information before they ask you on the phone - otherwise they wouldn't be able to validate your answers.

whatmichaelsays

I agree. It's an outrage that companies insist on verifying that people are who they say they are before they start disclosing sensitive information.

antrobus

gatita wrote: »

... This does not happen anywhere else...........just the U.K. as per usual. It INFURIATES me..

I think you might be wrong there.

The Data Protection Act 1998 was passed to comply with the EU Data Protection Directive issued in 1995.

lolavix

So you'd rather no one checked your identity? It wouldn't be long before you were a victim of fraud, and then you'd be moaning about that too

DevCoder

As of mid-2011 there were 76 countries which had a Data Protection/Privacy Act

gatita

By the replies I see that most of you have succumbed to the brain washing brigade and REALLY believe it is for your/my protection. If that IS the case, how come in other European companies they do NOT put you through an interrogation?
Apart from that, I thought (obviously wrongly) that the forum was for just that, to have a RANT

shaun_from_Africa

gatita wrote: »

By the replies I see that most of you have succumbed to the brain washing brigade and REALLY believe it is for your/my protection.

Or maybe it's just the case that most people have a different opinion to you, and it is you that has succumbed to brainwashing by the "they're all out to get us" brigade.