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BNP membership list has been put online.

As I said before, and if you'd bothered to click on the Guardian link I posted previously, you'd know that even the BNP themselves are blaming disgruntled former employees. Like I said, people holding positions of trust within the BNP are hardly likely to be militant anti-fascists, now are they? So what's your point exactly?

It wasn't, as far as we know, militant anti-fascists, or even anti-fascists at all, come to that, who leaked this information. That said, an intelligence goldmine like this comes along very rarely and we'd be fools not to make as great a use of it as we can.

OK then, replace "leaking" in my question with "promoting the dissemination".

Either you think it's OK or you don't. If you don't, then surely you don't actively assist.

I'm not particularly aiming that at you, really, it's a general remark to everyone who seems so eager to knock up google maps, spreadsheets and what have you. It's like everyone's got caught up in some kind of "look-at-me-fighting-the-racists" hysteria without really thinking about what they are doing. I wonder how many of these people have been in outrage in the past about those gangs that went out harassing paediatricians.

I know it's going to spread whatever now, so it doesn't really make any difference what anyone does here. It's just the principle of it.
 
How about calling a national day of phoning - not threatening stuff but trying convince those 10,000 people they are wrong in looking towards the BNP. Fuck, we need loads of patronising middle-class student socialists - that will be worst than torture! :-0)
 
What happened here? -

"Guardian plant ('undercover' report written for the Guardian 20/12/06. 07 renewal payment received 23/12/06"
 
OK then, replace "leaking" in my question with "promoting the dissemination".

Either you think it's OK or you don't. If you don't, then surely you don't actively assist.

I'm not particularly aiming that at you, really, it's a general remark to everyone who seems so eager to knock up google maps, spreadsheets and what have you. It's like everyone's got caught up in some kind of "look-at-me-fighting-the-racists" hysteria without really thinking about what they are doing. I wonder how many of these people have been in outrage in the past about those gangs that went out harassing paediatricians.

I know it's going to spread whatever now, so it doesn't really make any difference what anyone does here. It's just the principle of it.

I think it may well have been a necessary evil in this particular case, as unless it was spread and spread quickly it might not have been spread at all and anti-fascists (militant and otherwise) can make good use of it as long as they approach its use properly. No doubt the people downloading and passing this intelligence goldmine around could not be sure of just how much time they'd have in which to do that.

In an ideal world, I'd sooner have seen it disseminated in private to those individuals and groups that could make best use of it, but I don't think that was really practical given the speed with which the BNP legal people will no doubt have tried to shut it down. But it isn't an ideal world and we all know that.

It does show that the Internet can be an extremely powerful tool for disseminating information, which I'll be passing to certain interested parties that I know and trust to use it properly, and that, yes, it's going to spread anyway whether folk want it to or not.
 
I tell you what though - I take this sort of thing very seriously. There has clearly been some appalling data security here, and the organisation which let its members' confidential information leak out must be harshly punished.
 
And what about

deleted from database. (Permission not given for embership.) Media worker (Sky TV), background in PR/advertising. Pleased to offer advice
 
activist. Senior citizen spends most of the year in spain so chose to pay for overseas membership

Lives in Brazil. Travels extensively

Will not be renewing 07 (embarrassed by revelations in Private Eye re. councillors), Fluent Portugeuse

Will not be renewing 07 (emigrating to Australia)

Will not be renewing 07 (emigrating to Portugal), Businessman

Will not be renewing 07 (objects to being told he shouldn't wear a bomber jacket)
ultralol :D
 
I tell you what though - I take this sort of thing very seriously. There has clearly been some appalling data security here, and the organisation which let its members' confidential information leak out must be harshly punished.

What about anyone else, though, who has knowingly and actively helped it reach a wide audience? Should they be subject to different treatment?
 
How about calling a national day of phoning - not threatening stuff but trying convince those 10,000 people they are wrong in looking towards the BNP. Fuck, we need loads of patronising middle-class student socialists - that will be worst than torture! :-0)

All politicians should look at the names in their wards and do a bit of doorstepping, finding out why they joined the BNP and attempt to convince them that they are wrongly informed.
 
What about anyone else, though, who has knowingly and actively helped it reach a wide audience? Should they be subject to different treatment?

It's a matter of practicality, I reckon. As you yourself acknowledged, IIRC, this will spread and will have been so widely disseminated by now that to get everybody who either has a copy of the list or has passed on a copy would be impossible.

There could also be a question of legal jurisdictions as well, in that if, say, the websites on which it was published were registered in the USA they may well be outside UK jurisdiction and also be covered by the First Amendment that guarantees freedom of expression. There's also another Amendment IIRC, but forget which one, that I think might guarantee freedom of the press as well.
 
I tell you what though - I take this sort of thing very seriously. There has clearly been some appalling data security here, and the organisation which let its members' confidential information leak out must be harshly punished.

looks like that may well be happening soon :D :

What is going on? P*ss up in a brewery comes to mind. Who controls the membership list? Clearly old Griffo doesn’t give a sh*t! I want some answers, NOW

<snip>

The membership should demand Griffin stand down over this breach. He has put thousands of members at risk, and proved unfit to lead.

<snip>

Heads should roll and Im afraid that the buck has to stop with the chairman. He has been good for the BNP but this is a blunder too far.

<snip>

If he wont resign or says the error was someone elses then he should sack all of those involved in the compilation and storage of members details, All of them.

(from the Times article that Tax linked to)
 
It's a matter of practicality, I reckon. As you yourself acknowledged, IIRC, this will spread and will have been so widely disseminated by now that to get everybody who either has a copy of the list or has passed on a copy would be impossible.

An argument could be made for a couple of random prosecutions of people a few of steps along the line from the original source, as a deterrent for future instances, in the same way as the music industry has attempted to do regarding music piracy. If anyone is interested in making the Data Protection Act a meaningful one, that is.
 
It's a matter of practicality, I reckon. As you yourself acknowledged, IIRC, this will spread and will have been so widely disseminated by now that to get everybody who either has a copy of the list or has passed on a copy would be impossible.
That's not really the point. If they could, for example, prove that you helped disseminate the information to named parties, then they could possibly construct a case against you.
 
Obtaining information unlawfully disclosed is an offence.

S55 of the Data Protection Act 1998

DPA 1998 said:
55. Unlawful obtaining etc. of personal data.

— (1) A person must not knowingly or recklessly, without the consent of the data controller—
(a) obtain or disclose personal data or the information contained in personal data, or
(b) procure the disclosure to another person of the information contained in personal data.

Though they'd have a hard time going after everyone that's seen this data by now.
 
as someone who was 'identified and outed' on the opposite end of the spectrum and faced all the threats these people will recieve (alluded to by Darios), i feel pretty uncomfortable with this gadarene rush to name names without considering the consequences. Many people may lose jobs over this, homes will be attacked, children bullied in school, ok you say, but one day, it may be the left who are the victims of such leaks and 'identified' It is also incredible how many of those who bleat constantly about intrusion of privacy, personal dat, are so quick to abandon principles. However, now it is out it will undoubtedly be a useful tool for anti-facists and strategy such as it is. I also think this will lead to a split in the BNP with a move to a more euro-nationalist approach which in terms of acheiving their goals may be more effective: eg, look at the situation in Rome with a former MSI mayor, etc, Fini in the Gov't, the anti-immigrant agenda now pushed by the People' Parties in Scandanavia,


btw, it doesnn't mean that i wouldn't have welcomed the info, just maybe not done it this way.
 
Would viewing a registered site on the web though be a breach of this? If so it would appear that the Times are in trouble.

TomPaine
 
Potentially, though The Times does have a journalistic defence of their viewing being in the public interest under Subsection (2)
 
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