Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Your Data: Safe In Their Hands?


It's been a while since the BBC started a small shower of debate over the selling of motorists' details to private companies by the DVLA. Dizzy disagreed at the time with the government claim that there was no profit in such transactions.

If Dizzy is correct, then the treasury has been enjoying quite a windfall from selling our details this year, according to a question to the DfT from Bob Russell yesterday. It would seem that by the end of March, receipts will have increased by a whopping 120% on last year's already high total.

(receipts in £m)

2004-05 - 4.7
2005-06 - 6.2
2006-07 - 7.0
2007-08 - 8.1
2008-09 - 8.7
2009-10 - 19.2

What can have caused this huge increase is anyone's guess, but at £2.50 a pop, that equates to 7.68 million people having their data sold by the government to, well, just about anyone who asks.

Kerching! Now then, about your ID card application ...




7 comments:

Oldrightie said...

Probably sold to Nick Brown to dig dirt?

JuliaM said...

So, Bingo Bob is good for something after all...

John Pickworth said...

If its not bolted down this Government will flog it!

Same thing is happening with immigration/visitor visas.

banned said...

For not many thousands of poounds they will sell you access to the entire DVLA database so anyone can look at your details without you even parking badly.

Letters From A Tory said...

This stuff goes on all the time, the government release as much of our details as EU rules will allow and keep the change.

Very cynical.

Mark Wadsworth said...

You have to ask?

DAD said...

Remember that the DVLA are the OWNER of your vehicle, you are only the KEEPER.