UK Man Prevented From Finding Chipped Pet Under Data Protection Act

Dave Moorhouse was elated when he was informed that a microchip provider had information on the whereabouts of his stolen dog. This joy soon faded when the company informed him that it could not divulge the Jack Russell terrier's location because it would breach the Data Protection Act. Last week a court agreed with the chip company and refused Mr Moorhouse's request for a court order compelling them to reveal the name and address of the new owners. Steven Wildridge, managing director of the chip company said: “This is not a choice, it’s an obligation under the Data Protection Act. If the individuals involved do not want us to pass on their details to the original owner then we cannot do so unless compelled to following a criminal or civil proceeding."

Comments

Re:So they can just keep stolen property then?

[commodore64_love]

>>>Yes, the police should just take thing from people simply based on someones say so.

Why not? They do it for RIAA when they need your ISP's data so they can send a cease-and-desist letter. So if the police can do it for that case, they ought to be able to do it to find a stolen dog.