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Privacy worry over caller ID
A computer expert has raised privacy concerns about councils gathering callers’ personal details to store on databases.
The man, from Inskip, near Preston, was alarmed to find Wyre Council used a caller identification system to automatically bring up his details, including address, on screen every time he rang the local authority’s contact centre.
His concerns come after Lancashire police came under criticism from privacy campaigners last week for storing 600,000 innocent people’s details on a database of callers.
The man, who did not want to be named, said he was not warned his details would be stored by Wyre Council when he called in future and added it made it more difficult to pass on anonymous information, for example about anti-social behaviour.
He said: “It’s all a bit invasive.
“If the call centre operative has information about all the calls made, you could immediately branded a serial complainer.
“If you ring British Gas, for example, they give a warning that calls will be recorded but (Wyre) didn’t tell me they would harvest my details. Where is it going to stop?”
When he complained about the matter to Wyre Council, he was told their caller ID system saved time and money by speeding up future enquiries.
A statement from Peter Mason, head of the contact centre, said: “If customers who have contacted us previously and given us their phone contact details subsequently phone us again from the same number, our telephony and customer management software systems are now linked so that the customers details are automatically brought up on the contact centre officer’s computer screen the moment they answer the phone.
“The contact centre officer then performs a quick security check to ensure the customer details in front of them are the correct ones.
“If the customer has never contacted the council before, has declined to register a contact telephone number or is ex-directory, then the link does not work.”
Lancashire County, Preston and Fylde councils said they have no phone number identification system and only take a caller’s personal details if it is essential to their query.
A South Ribble Council spokesman said they do not have a caller ID system but would consider installing one in future.
West Lancashire Council said they record conversations for training but not identification purposes.
Coun Kevin Joyce, cabinet member for customer service at Chorley Council, said details were only logged with permission and they had no caller ID.
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Comments
There are 4 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
gremw
Friday, January 14, 2011 at 09:48 AMMakes you wonder what this bloke has got to hide - does he regularly make anonymous nuisance calls perhaps? - anyway if he is that bothered he can easily withold his number. Personally I think it's great that they can bring up most of your details then you don't have to constantly repeat yourself.
gremw
Friday, January 14, 2011 at 09:47 AMMakes you wonder what this bloke has got to hide - does he regularly make anonymous nuisance calls perhaps? - anyway if he is that bothered he can easily withold his number. Personally I think it's great that they can bring up most of your details then you don't have to constantly repeat yourself.
Pedantic Poster
Friday, January 14, 2011 at 09:12 AM"Where is it going to stop?” is normally followed by "WOnt somebody think of the children?" what are the grounds for calling this guy an "IT expert"? what information does he think the council have been able to obtain about him that he either hasnt already given them, or isnt publicly available?
Yankeebravo
Friday, January 14, 2011 at 09:11 AMAll organisations store information on their callers - the id system is probably just a more efficient system, and the information is no different than any other council. The Data Protection Act regulates the way that organisations collect that information. Councils are probably some of the most open organisations for that regulation (as they have more to lose if there are any breaches, in terms of public scrutiny). This gentleman might be more concerned to learn that every time he uses a credit or debit card at a supermarket, store or shop, the information on what he spends his money on is passed amongst multiple private companies to monitor how he spends his cash (without his permission)....now there's the real big brother, and it ain't from the state.
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