Electoral Roll changes - and massive privacy violation.

derrick

My letter stated "...you have been automatically re-registered under the new system. ...Your details are on the open register. To be removed from the open register please contact us using the details at the top of this letter."

I always ticked the box saying I did not want to be on the Edited Register.

I contacted them by email,(one of the contact methods),the day I received the letter, I received the following response within a couple of hours:-
"Many thanks for your email. You have been removed from the Open Register today.
You will also receive confirmation of this by post in a few days time.

Kind regards"




I received the confirmation letter 2 days later.




.

stoatwblr

Derrick: Are you willing to speak to a journalist?

If so, please PM me your details (or if you'd like to initiate contact, I will provide the number)

stoatwblr

Pedant: Do you know which council that was? (Are you allowed to say/willing to speak to a journalist?)

halibut2209

stoatwblr wrote: »

The EC also told local authorities that they didn't have to notify people they had been changed from the closed to open registers.

What is your proof of this?

GwylimT

The letter you receive is very clear on whether or not you are on the open register, it isn't exactly difficult.

stoatwblr

halibut2209 wrote: »

What is your proof of this?

A recording of a phone conversation with Mark Nyack of the Electoral Commission. (Yes, I do record my phone calls, especially when chasing illegal activity)

stoatwblr

GwylimT wrote: »

The letter you receive is very clear on whether or not you are on the open register, it isn't exactly difficult.

You're right. It IS clear - in the most recent mailouts.

The issue is that previous changes were NOT clear - I was toggled from the closed register into the open one back in March with no notification that the change had taken place.

Other people in other forums have indicated the same thing has happened to them - it's happened in various areas across the UK so mine is not an isolated instance.

wealdroam

stoatwblr wrote: »

You're right. It IS clear - in the most recent mailouts.

The issue is that previous changes were NOT clear - I was toggled from the closed register into the open one back in March with no notification that the change had taken place.

Other people in other forums have indicated the same thing has happened to them - it's happened in various areas across the UK so mine is not an isolated instance.

So someone made a mistake.

It has now been put right.

What more do you want?

stoatwblr

wealdroam wrote: »

So someone made a mistake.

It has now been put right.

What more do you want?

Are you not concerned that potentially hundreds of thousands of people have had their privacy violated and data sold to marketers?

The ICO certainly is. They're investigating a number of counccils over data breaches already.

bod1467

All very interesting ... but this is probably the wrong board - perhaps should have been in Praise, Vent & Warnings.

(I'm in Scotland and I believe the system is different up here, so this doesn't [shouldn't?] affect me).