phone lookups

[John R T Brazier]

>>>>John R T Brazier wrote:
>>>>Um, whilst proving your point, did you check if these people were happy
>>>>to have their details spread to this list? Also, what are the 0208...
>>>>numbers?
>
>>>Ben Wrote:
>>>Since these details are available on a disk anyone can buy, why check?
>
>> John wrote:
>> But I haven't bought the disk - so should I have these data? And isn't
this
>> the essence of the privacy debate? Just because the disk exists, does it
>> mean that we now shouldn't care about how our details are spread around?
>
> Ben wrote:
>I didn't say you shouldn't care - but its the disk you should care
>about, not the fact that someone quoted its contents.

As a point of practice, you are correct. As a point of principle, I can't
buy it. The existence and availability of a data set shouldn't give free
license to any use or abuse of it. Otherwise, by this argument, Blunkett was
right: ISPs have traffic data, which is available to the Government, so it
shouldn't matter if the Government "spreads it around a bit".

All the best,

John B