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Agreed.

Over here, some of the best investigative journalism about government and corporate failings I've ever seen was on the Mark Thomas Comedy Product - http://www.mtcp.co.uk/.

The comedian and left-wing activist Mark Thomas used the Data Protection Act to request footage from CCTV cameras of him walking down a high street. (I seem to recall he was wearing a variety of costumes, and used the whole thing to make a movie, with the local council doing the filming for him).

More details on his site, here:

http://www.mtcp.co.uk/shows.php?id=28

Other countries have these exact laws and we don't have a problem. There's a little bit on the form saying "we share information with with anti-fraud agencies". Quite simple really, the exception applies to credit products only. Any otherorganization that shares my data with anyone else without my express permission (opt-in) will get their butt reamed by the Data Protection Register.

The same laws also all me to demand that they give me a complete copy of all data they have on me. It's my data, so I should be able to make sure it's correct. Here's a sample form to get a copy of any CCTV footage (!) you might appear in:

I was aware that I was being filmed by INSERT LOCATION OF CCTV CAMERA / NAME OF CAMERAPERSON IF YOU ASKED IT, OR WRITE DISCRIPTION, PC NUMBER ETC. You can identify myself by DISCRIBE YOURSELF OR YOUR CLOTHING, IDENTIFIABLE ACTIONS, ETC.

I would hope that you will be able to comprehensively search all your recordings. However, to assist you with my request I would suggest that you first focus on IF YOU CAN NARROW DOWN THEIR SEARCH THEN DO SO("I was filmed in the lobby ", "I was not present after 2PM", "You visited me at "location & date"...etc).

As you may be aware, the definition of "personal data" under the new Act covers information that is recorded on video and film and if these are recorded on tape by yourselves, I am also entitled to this data.

I would also draw your attention to the CCTV Code of Practice for Data Protection Act (specifically 'Access by Data Subjects', points 8 through to 11) which suggests that other individuals who are also caught on film around me should be 'disguised or blurred' in line with the Sixth Data Protection Principle, and sets out principles for how this work should be undertaken.

Fortunately the corporations don't 0wn the UK government as much as they'd like to. Yay to laws that actually work for the people! Some people do abuse it to piss of companies they don't like. It's a funny catch-22 though, because the company invairably makes note of the requests, to which that note must also be in any new requests. The activist comedian Mark Thomas (where the above comes from) has notes on himself saying things like "do NOT tell him this", or "say I'm not available if he calls". Neat stuff, they essentially have to grep for your name and give you everything.

You are thinking of the excellent Mark Thomas. He mixes comedy with investigative journalism - it;s an interesting and entertaining mix.

It was Mark Thomas, political comedy genius.

"the UK is part of the EU, but its intelligence services are among Echelon's sponsors."

It's kind of an open secret that the UK and the US together spy on Europe. In particular, there is evidence that the US used intelligence supplied from UK-based surveillance stations in order to give American companies advantages. One of those stations is at Menwith Hill. Mark Thomas did a stunt by flying over it IIRC in a balloon to see what would happen and had a party too.

The legislation is just as relevant in this case and it would be possible to request from London Transport a copy of all information they hold on their computer systems about you and your travel movements. Then it might be possible to decide just how paranoid to become. Alternatively - just take the bus.

The legislation is just as relevant in this case and it would be possible to request from London Transport a copy of all information they hold on their computer systems about you and your travel movements. Then it might be possible to decide just how paranoid to become. Alternatively - just take the bus.

Mark Thomas page - Drug Dumping is the program I was commenting on.

I think it'd help to get Mark Thomas on the case of this.

For those who haven't heard of him, he's a comedian with a very strong political slant who has a show on British terrestrial TV called "The Mark Thomas Comedy Product", I guess the closest U.S. equivalent would be Micheal Moore? See the BBC article "Mark Thomas: Taking comedy seriously" for a good overview on what he's on about. There's also another BBC article on how a British Government offical tried to mount a smear campaign against him (hmmm, sounds all too familiar!), so he must be doing something right!

I'm sure he'd help in bringing this issue closer to the public, and educate people as to why they need to do something about it. Get in touch with the man by using his site's feedback form or post a question for him on the forums.

Oh, and there's also an unofficial site that's worth a look.

Cheers,

I think it'd help to get Mark Thomas on the case of this.

For those who haven't heard of him, he's a comedian with a very strong political slant who has a show on British terrestrial TV called "The Mark Thomas Comedy Product", I guess the closest U.S. equivalent would be Micheal Moore? See the BBC article "Mark Thomas: Taking comedy seriously" for a good overview on what he's on about. There's also another BBC article on how a British Government offical tried to mount a smear campaign against him (hmmm, sounds all too familiar!), so he must be doing something right!

I'm sure he'd help in bringing this issue closer to the public, and educate people as to why they need to do something about it. Get in touch with the man by using his site's feedback form or post a question for him on the forums.

Oh, and there's also an unofficial site that's worth a look.

Cheers,

Thanks for that link - it confirmed that another random show I saw a few years ago was indeed Mark Thomas too (Tax-Exempt Artworks).

For more similar stuff in the US, with an anti-Corporate bent, try Michael Moore, purveyor of the excellent TV Nation.

The excellent Mark Thomas Product, a show on c4 in the UK had a pop at "the Data Protection Act and in particular its sections covering Closed Circuit Television".

Essentially, in the UK, if a CCTV camera records your image you just have to write to the owner of the camera with a £10 cheque asking for a copy of all information they hold on you. By law under the DPA they have to provide you with a copy. If they don't they can go to jail.

He went into a McDonalds with a troup of tumblers and jugglers and asked for a copy of the tape. He went a bunch of other places aswell, get him on video, very funny!

Lots of info starting here, at his own FAQ, and if you get hooked check out google directory for stacks of links.

This is trigger happy TV for the broadsheet reader!

There is to be a new series in the future, apparently - but Vera don't have much information yet.

As well as the C4 site you pointed to, you might be interested in the less official MTCP site - less official meaning C4's lawyers don't get to censor it ;O)