The Price of Information

If you live in the UK you will shortly be receiving a letter like this saying the way you vote is changing.

What isn't clear from that statement is that the way you vote actually isn't changing. The government is making us aware they are preparing to sell our information.

Thye call it an open register that has our details that can be bought by anyone who wants it.

I'm glad that's cleared up as I assumed when I read that the way I register to vote is changing I thought that would change the way I register to vote.

So putting aside that blatant distraction method, what they've announced is not only will they profit from selling our information to any number of potentially unscrupulous companies bent on a new wave of targeted spam/scams we're implicit by default.

"I'm writing to let you know that you have been automatically re - registered under the new system. You don't need to do anything else."

That's what I find most the most difficult to swallow. In other words,

"You weren't consulted, we didn't need to, if you care you'll have to go out of your way to stop us."

The leading form of statement is like a low form of persuasion. Think about it.

You don't need to do anything else.

If the government had announced that they wish to generate revenue by exploiting the growing need for customer information within the business sector by selling my information. Providing they had assured there would be standards involved. I wouldn't have minded.

This devious attempt to trick us is insulting and I'm personally going to do what I can to avoid a fresh quota of spam in my life.

Unless it's part of a flying circus sketch...

~Fraser