[DanBC]

> And what about the mobile networks, they already track the location of every one of us?

Those companies are registered with the Data Protection people. They specify what data they are collecting, and why, and they are subject to regulations about what they can do with the data and how long they can keep the data.

> What if I want to open a shop and count the pedestrians walking by at a potential location, will police swoop in to throw me in jail?

You can count people. What you can't do is take an identifying piece of information about that person and store it.

[Tichy]

"Those companies are registered with the Data Protection people."

And it's probably really easy for "the little man" to register with the Data Protection Agency? Or do you need lots of lawyers and lots of money?

[adw]

Every business of any size has to do it. Costs about $100. It's not hard.

[Tichy]

So for 100$ the recycling bins could be back on the street, if they credibly anonymize the data?

[adw]

Well, what they were doing was probably never illegal. That doesn't mean the City of London are obliged to let them do it – they're their bins.

[Tichy]

I thought it was the company responsible for the bins doing it. My bad.

[desas]

It was the company who installed the bins. The City of London gave the company a contract for the bins, this tracking is something that has developed after the original contract was signed.

[eterm]

What's the Data Protection Agency?

Data protection is a law, it applies to anyone. There's no such thing as the data protection agency, just the information commissioner.

There's no money and no lawyers fees, do you care to explain yourself?

[moocowduckquack]

Is the Information Commissioners Office, which used to be the Data Protection Registrar, which deals with the Register of Data Controllers. Registration requires a fee which funds the Information Commissioners Office, however this fee is only £35, or £500 if you have a turnover of more than £25 million.

[Tichy]

I was replying to DanBC who mentioned the Data Protection People. I have no idea how this stuff works in Britain.