Will our Telcos ever protect our privacy?

[Loongsam]

My comments: While Google is not a saint, compared to Viacom, it is an angel. Now, closer to home, will our ISPs and Telcos, who have a history (though not all of them) of giving up the privacy rights of their consumers when confronted in a litigation suit in our local court, the question still remains. Will our online privacy ever be protected in our local court?

Extracted: www.guardian.co.uk

Google has struck a deal to protect the personal data of millions of YouTube users in the $1bn (£497m) copyright court case brought against the video-sharing website by Viacom.
Under the deal, Google will make user information and internet protocol addresses from its YouTube subsidiary anonymous before handing over the data to Viacom in the US legal case.
Earlier this month a judge in New York ordered Google to pass on the personal data of more than 100 million YouTube users - many of them in the UK - to Viacom.
Viacom, the media company that owns TV channels including MTV and Comedy Central and the Paramount film studio, had demanded the information so it could conduct a detailed examination of the viewing habits of millions of YouTube users around the world.

A Message to Viacom: Leave Youtube alone
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=coeGM6zZEOk

 

[teraterm55]

My comments: While Google is not a saint, compared to Viacom, it is an angel. Now, closer to home, will our Telcos, who has a history of giving up the privacy rights of their consumers when confronted in a litigation suit in our local court, the question still remains. Will our online privacy ever be protected in our local court?

my point of view is.. NEVER. unless there is money to be made by the GOV in protecting that privacy.

Scenario...

Copywright owner wants to find out who AhKau is so they can sue the pants of AhKau. they get court order. and bidding start.

Copywright.. i pay 100 for the data.
AhKau.. i pay 200 to protect.
Copywright.. i pay 1000 for the data.
AhKau.. bo lui lah.. i pay 900.

Court.. ok Copywright wins... SISP.. here is 1/2 of the money now pass the privacy info over... the other 1/2 we keep for minister payrise package.

If there is no benefit why do extra work ??


If you look at the privacy laws of most country.. they do so for certain financial gains. like the Swiss... imagine if the lift their privacy act... the country might colapse man... all those anon money stored in their banks.

 

[Loongsam]

I do share similar sentiments. I am however, unsure about the laws locally. We may not even have any precise laws to address this.

 

[kakowi]

For Singnet, their policy is publicized on the web. Refer to: http://www.singnet.com.sg/help/ip_privacy.asp

In particular, these paragraphs:

quote:

Content owners have a right to protect their property and all Internet users in Singapore have to comply with copyright and other Intellectual Property laws. Any violation can result in serious legal repercussions, both civil and criminal.

ISPs like SingNet have a right to protect the rights of their customers while adhering to the legal system. Hence, we reject all requests from third parties for information pertaining to our customers. Such information is only released under a court order or if requested by the law enforcement or regulatory agencies.

unquote.

 

[gimidy17]

For Singnet, their policy is publicized on the web. Refer to: http://www.singnet.com.sg/help/ip_privacy.asp

In particular, these paragraphs:

quote:

Content owners have a right to protect their property and all Internet users in Singapore have to comply with copyright and other Intellectual Property laws. Any violation can result in serious legal repercussions, both civil and criminal.

ISPs like SingNet have a right to protect the rights of their customers while adhering to the legal system. Hence, we reject all requests from third parties for information pertaining to our customers. Such information is only released under a court order or if requested by the law enforcement or regulatory agencies.

unquote.

Bro do you know about Starhub privacy policy? If I never remember wrongly, not long ago there was an article about starhub protecting their users when other 3rd party requesting for users surfing detail "via court order" and was turned down. Can any bro confirm that?

 

[Loongsam]

Bro do you know about Starhub privacy policy? If I never remember wrongly, not long ago there was an article about starhub protecting their users when other 3rd party requesting for users surfing detail "via court order" and was turned down. Can any bro confirm that?

Maybe ur info is incorrect. It should be like this:

Singnet complied the court order without contesting and in absence.

Starhub compied the court order after presenting itself in court.

Pacific Internet (listed in NASDAQ but owned by locals) contested and won against the court order.

The reason Pacific Internet fought the court order was because it adhered to USA privacy laws, as it is listed in NASDAQ, I think.

 

[Himerus]

like you said,when the enforcement/regulatory agencies or courts order it,they will release whatever information that they have.

when we signed-up for such services,we signed an agreement/contract,most of us will not read all the details. they can use those information and sold them to those time-sharing,insurance or others,that is why sometimes we received promotion calls from those credit cards telemarketeers and so on.

 

[Loongsam]

like you said,when the enforcement/regulatory agencies or courts order it,they will release whatever information that they have.

when we signed-up for such services,we signed an agreement/contract,most of us will not read all the details. they can use those information and sold them to those time-sharing,insurance or others,that is why sometimes we received promotion calls from those credit cards telemarketeers and so on.

I doubt the ISPs or Telcos are allowed to sell ur private info to other commercial organizations for telemarketing activities. However, I know of a fact that the banks are giving ur private details to its subsidiaries to telemarket products and services over the phone as well as snail mails.

The banks are really the prime culprits.

In fact, your details are outsourced to a third party debt collector by the banks. One of such debt collection organizations is Milliken and Craig.

I also know of SPH outsourcing its debt collection to Milliken and Craig.

But the level of private details given to Milliken and Craig by the banks to collect debts include the following:

1) Your bank account details
2) Your identity card number
3) Your Date of Birth
4) Your home address
5) Your Occupation
6) Your present employer and past employer
7) Your email address, if you had given to the bank

This is shocking but it actually is happening. Anyone from the bank if you do not believe what is written please post here. Anyhow, I think this warrant a separate thread for discussion.

 

[xtrocious]

At the drop of a hat (the court's) and your personal information would be handed over (with a fee of course)...

The case in point last year was Odex against anime downloaders...

Odex, who was not the rightful copyright owner, went to apply for a court order to get the downloaders' information (SingTel as someone had mentioned, complied without even putting up an appearance in court)...Odex then went on to wrangle S$3k from students and other downloaders by threatening them with legal action, which it had no rights to do so...

PacNet put up a fight and won the initial hearing but Odex appealed...

Again, the court ruled that Odex was not the rightful party to sue or contemplate legal action but the copyright owners have the right to pursue the matter...

So far, nothing has been heard about whatever happened to the money that Odex has illegally gotten from these downloaders...

For your leisurely reading pleasure...

http://singaporedaily.net/odex-saga/

 

[masgnoeL]

At the drop of a hat (the court's) and your.....

For your leisurely reading pleasure...

http://singaporedaily.net/odex-saga/

Bro, this is so true. We r on our own. Really on our own. :(

 

[JavaMocca]

It would be the proper thing to do to protect your own privacy and if you do not feel comfortable about a certain Telco or ISP, then refrain from entering into a situation where you unwittingly or has no other choice but to reveal or divulge private info.

 

[diversifyx2]

It would be the proper thing to do to protect your own privacy and if you do not feel comfortable about a certain Telco or ISP, then refrain from entering into a situation where you unwittingly or has no other choice but to reveal or divulge private info.

Privacy does not exist in singkieland, please drill hard into your head as NS slave were taught.
http://<EMBED src=http://www.youtube.com/v/fnYxLZqBGb0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6 width=425 height=344 type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowfullscreen="true"></EMBED>
http://<EMBED src=http://www.youtube.com/v/XlFimik00ck&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6 width=425 height=344 type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowfullscreen="true"></EMBED>

 

[Pica_NA]

i was with a telco company in the past.... till some extend, they will protect you... however, if there is a conflict of interest and they rather protect their own reputation and interest....

In SG, there is a SLA draw across the board, but subjected to the undertable SLA defined by the government....