The Tax Cheapo

The BT Phorm trials conducted by the UK government in 2006 have come back to haunt it. Early this week the European Commission went public with the charge that the UK government had failed in its duty to provide security to the personal data of its citizens.

This issue of possible prosecution was raised by the Broadband Genie in April 2009. The European Commission has now made it public that, with the case is in its second phase, if there is lack of satisfactory response from the UK government to the questions it has raised, then the Commission will prosecute the UK government in the European Court. Optimists think that this is good opportunity for the British Government to bring in a change in the law of the land.

The Telecoms Commissioner of the European Union (EU), Viviane Reding, in his comment in connection with this case has highlighted the importance of protecting the privacy and personal online data of its citizens. The EU law considers this a fundamental right of all those who owe allegiance to EU.

In the second phase of this case the EU Commission has dispatched a letter to the UK government asking it to explain its action in the light of the accusations made against it. The Commission has, for the first time, made the charges public.

All through this controversy the UK government’s stand has been that of denial of any wrong doing and satisfaction with the way the Phorm trial was proceeding. People criticising the Phorm trial are quick to point out that the BT users who were roped in for the trial did not have the choice of leaving the trial when they felt unhappy or dissatisfied. This amounted to a breach of the privacy rights of people as envisioned in the EU law.