UK Company Sold Workers' Secret Data

krou writes "The BBC is reporting that the Information Commissioner's Office has shut down a company in the UK for a serious breach of the Data Protection Act. It claims that the company, The Consulting Association in Droitwich, Worcs, ran a secret system that it repeatedly denied existed for 15 years, selling workers' confidential data, including union activities, to building firms, allowing potential employers to unlawfully vet job applicants. About 3,213 workers were in the database, and other information included data on personal relationships, political affiliations, and employment histories. More than 40 firms are believed to have used the service, paying a £3,000 annual fee, and each of them will be investigated, too." The article says that The Consulting Association faces a £5,000 fine — after pulling in £1.8 million over 15 years with its illegal blacklist.

Comments

Put on your Republican/Tory shoes for a second

[0xdeadbeef]

About 3,213 workers were in the database, and other information included data on personal relationships, political affiliations, and employment histories

And what's wrong with that? There are plenty of websites that track corporate political donations and rank companies as employers. Seems only fair.

Re:British Paranoia at its finest!

[u38cg]

Foreign workers tend to show up on time and do the job without whining. I'd take half a dozen random Poles over half a dozen random Brits any day. Why British people are so convinced they deserve a job in front of people who work harder and for less than they do is a source of constant mystery to me.