Coventry City Council sells names and addresses of residents to companies

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Coventry City Council sells names and addresses of residents to companies

Postby dutchman » Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:05 pm

Credit reference companies pay thousands for the information and councils have to sell the open register to them

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Companies have spent thousands of pounds buying name and address details of people in Coventry over the last five years.

Credit reference companies and estate agencies spent a total of £15,915 buying lists of names and addresses of people in Coventry from the open electoral register.

They paid the money to Coventry City Council for the details. The law says councils have to sell the open register to any customers.

Credit reference agencies include Equifax, Crediva, Callcredit and Experian.

The estate agencies which have bought the open register are Shortland-Horne and Connells.

Estate agencies are regular customers because they manage rented property and want to check the identity of potential tenants.

Credit reference agencies buy the register because they want proof that people applying for loans or other kinds of credit haven’t given a false address.

There are two versions of the electoral register. The open one is available to buy and has just name and address details.

People can ask for their name to be taken off the open register if they don’t want it there.

The other one isn’t available to buy and people can’t have their names taken off it.

Liz Read, electoral services manager at Coventry City Council said: “By law we have to make the open register available to anyone who wants to buy it and we cannot refuse to do so.

“People will have recently received a household enquiry form which shows who is registered to vote at that address.

“It also indicates whether your details are included on the open register or not.

“If you haven’t responded yet, you can opt out of the register when you confirm the details on the form or let us know about any changes.

“The quickest and easiest way to respond to the household enquiry form is online at http://www.coventry.gov.uk/canvass .”

Bosses at national civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch are calling for the sale of the open register to be abolished.

There are fears it deters people from registering to vote and increases the amount of unwanted junk mail dropping on to door mats.

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Re: Coventry City Council sells names and addresses of residents to companies

Postby Melisandre » Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:53 pm

So if someone iffy works for these companys and takes our personal information and uses it for fraud who is liable the council or government when you have them knocking on your door saying this was done in your name or your asked officially by letter can you prove who you are. Dont think it does not happen as it does it happenend to some one in my family a while back . I recall a few years ago in the news two employees getting sacked at Coventry City Council for sharing some ones personal information out side of the council the other was to do with money taken.
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