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Germans want to prevent personal data sales

by on21 August 2008

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We need more privacy


German privacy
watchdogs have barked for laws to be tightened amid a scandal over illegal sales of personal data.

A data protection office in Schleswig-Holstein, north Germany, is furious that it was able to buy six million items of personal data on the Internet for just for just 850 euros.  This included bank account details and phone numbers. The culprits were call centers and lottery firms who have been peddling the data to anyone who will buy it.

According to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, up to 20 million pieces of data from people's bank accounts had been flogged to third parties. The head of the data protection office, Thilo Weichert, said that the sale of bank account data is just as illegal as unsolicited telephone marketing.

He said politicians could do more to protect consumers, as the transfer of data for marketing purposes should be made conditional on the customer's approval.
Last modified on 22 August 2008
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