British regulator stops sale of private information about workers

Britain's privacy regulator has ordered an end to a business that collected personal information about construction workers and then sold it to potential employers, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said Friday.

Ian Kerr, the owner of a firm known as the Consulting Association based in Droitwich, has been ordered to stop selling the information and faces prosecution under the Data Protection Act, the ICO said in a news release Friday.

The information sold included material about personal relationships, trade union activity and employment history on 3,213 construction workers. It was used by more than 40 construction companies to vet potential employees, the ICO said.

Buyers paid a $5,450 annual fee to subscribe to the system, and paid $4 for details on individuals. "Invoices to construction firms for up to [$13,600] were seized during the raid," the ICO said.

 "We will prosecute Mr. Kerr and we are also considering what regulatory action to take against construction firms who have been using the system," deputy information commissioner David Smith said.

Kerr collected information on people without their knowledge or consent, and "the very existence of the database was repeatedly denied," he said.

Britain's Data Protection Act requires organizations to be open about how they process personal information, and in most cases organizations processing personal information must register with the ICO.

"Mr. Kerr did not comply with the law on either count," Smith said.

The buyers of the information include "household names" in the British construction industry. Companies could add information to the system, said the ICO.

The ICO is going to start a dedicated enquiry system on March 16 for people who believe their information may be in the database.