semi-public data?? (Re: phone lookups)

[John R T Brazier]

> >> On Mon, 24 Jun 2002, The loony John R T Brazier wrote:
> >>
> >> Yes, anyone could purchase the CD, and then proceed to use/abuse its
> data.
> >> However, I have not purchased the CD. Therefore I do not have a right
to
> >> use its data, and I shouldn't receive the data from the CD. The
situation
> >> seems to me to be analagous in terms of principle: agencies who have
> >> a right to traffic data shouldn't "quote" its contents to agencies that
> >> don't. In exactly the same way, people who have purchased the access to
> >> Experian's mega-demographics databases shouldn't quote their contents
to
> >> people who haven't.

Adam replied:
>I think a more pertinent question is:

>- is the information public or not?

>if it's public it's public -- no semi-public, or public but only to
>people who pay 200 pounds, or public to people who show up at an
>office.

>The reason is if one were to say that it's semi-public (public but
>somehow restricted), then some one can simply place the CD contents
>online in another jurisdiction and there won't be anything that can be
>done about it.

>Now if you care about privacy, complain about the collection, or
>public release of this information.  For example make being in the
>public sub-set opt-in instead of opt-out.

But even if we regarded this (despicable) disk as a reality,
are you really saying that every misuse of it is ok, just because
it exists? Even if you could access it for free?
Surely it doesn't matter how public it is: I still
don't have to invade other's privacy just because I can? If
nothing else, it's called 'good manners' not to do it.

TTFN

Morally ancient JB