"Mike" wrote in message
...
"David Hill" wrote in message
...
I wonder how many URGlers are aware that in re posting other peoples
email
addresses as part of a post/message like the following example is
actually
an offence under the data protection act.


As others have pointed out, you are I am afraid incorrect

The Data Protection Act is very 'wooly' and has more holes in it than a
worn
out cardigan,

BUT

There are elements in it which could prove to be very costly if a person
is
sued under the Act, 'if' it stuck, that is why people are very wary of it.

I have 1000's and 1000's of names and addresses of those who have served
in
the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. I have them on card index, file index
and computer, but have NOT had to register with the Data Protection Act
because of how they are accessable and how they are used.

My understanding of the matter is that you are in fact in an illegal
situation, as indeed I am. I keep an address list containing some
additional information about members of a Society on whose Committee I
serve.
I do believe that anybody who keeps data in a computer-readable form for
more than 30 days is supposed to contact the Data Protection Registrar in
order to explain what the data is and how it is to be used. I have no
intention about doing that. It is too much of a hassle and is quite stupid.
If I had kept all the data simply on a paper file, I would not have had to
contact the Registrar. Which is a pile of crap, because with optical
character reading software, even paper files are computer readable.


[snip]

Franz