Privacy Commissioner responds to privacy complaint
I finally heard back from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner about my complaint against the RSL club (to be fair, it may have been sitting in my PO Box for a while – I don’t check it as often as I should!). They said that the Privacy Act prevents them from investigating my complaint if I have not first complained directly to the organisation I am making the complaint against.
And although I have previously raised my concerns with the club, I thought I should tell them about the Privacy Commissioner’s letter and give them a final opportunity to respond. Read more
Privacy report – Google takes heat for Apple, Yahoo and others
The Google-focussed media frenzy following the release of a privacy report by Privacy International saying that Google is “leading a race to the bottom” must have Apple, Yahoo and the other companies analysed breathing a huge sigh of relief!
ZDNet, Australian IT, The Sydney Morning Herald and countless others have published stories about Google’s placement in the worst of six categories (and Google has refuted many of the claims, as expected). Which is understandable – the label “hostile to privacy” makes for a great headline. Read more
RSL scan drivers license
You know that RSL club that I suspected of putting me at risk of identity theft when they scanned my drivers license? Well, they’ve emailed me back again with a bit more information – now I’m really worried!
What information did they collect?
One of my questions was, had they actually taken a copy of my whole drivers license, or simply extracted the pieces of information that they needed (name, address, signature)?
The reply confirmed my worst fears – “inserting the license in the terminal scans an image of the actual license”! How hard would it be for someone with access to that image to create a copy of my drivers license? They could then rack up points on my license by speeding, or worse – by not parking rear-to-curb in a rear-to-curb-only parking spot!
Or, they could modify the image to change the postal address to their neighbour’s, then create a fake license from the modified image, use that as ID to open a credit card account in my name, get the card posted to the address on the ID (their neighbours house), and steal the license from the neighbours letter box in a few days time. Too easy!
Read more
Response from the RSL club
Well, I’ve heard back from the RSL club that took a scan of my drivers license (see original post).
They answered some of my questions – and raised some more. Read more
Privacy matters, even at RSL clubs!
I love a good meat raffle – especially down at the local RSL!
You rock up 5 minutes before the ticket sales close, hand over a 20 and get a wad full of numbers back. Off to the bar for a cheap-as-chips beer before settling in at a table – smug in the knowledge that you’re almost guaranteed to win something!
You know how, if you live within a 5km radius of a club you have to become a member? (Some rule to do with government grants or funding or something…) So they ask you for ID when you go in. Usually you just flash your drivers licence, and fill in a slip with your name, address, the date, sign it and you’re on your way.
Well, the other day I went over for a meat raffle at a certain NSW club (>5km from my home btw). And, instead of asking me to fill in a slip, I was directed to a shiny new machine in the foyer. I must have looked a little unsure of what was expected of me, because the helpful gentleman at the door showed me what to do by taking my drivers license and inserting it into the machine. Seconds later, my licence was returned, along with a printed slip with my name on it. Read more
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