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Beware the EHRC’s new ‘lifestyle database’

On Saturday, Big Brother Watch and the blogger Old Holborn combined to expose the Equality and Human Rights Commission's attempt to create an enormous database intended to catalogue our 'levels of equality'.

Ehrc_logo3 Freedom of Information requests sent out by Old Holborn reveal that the EHRC is in the process of creating a new 'Lifestyle database' which, through the use of information gathered from a variety of sources ranging from A&E records to child wellbeing surveys, will create a figure that the EHRC will then use to determine how equal we all are.

This database is likely to include records of sexuality, income and political leanings and would be available to be read by anyone ready to sign-up on the EHRC's website.

The full story is in the Daily Mail and you can read the actual FOI answers on Old Holborn's blog here.

Alex Deane, Director of Big Brother Watch, said:

“This intrusive database is being built without even the smallest consideration for privacy.

“When people go to hospital, they don’t think that information about their illness is going to be shared with the EHRC.

“When victims of crime talk to the police, they don’t think that facts about their lives will be recorded on an EHRC database.

“What possible right does the EHRC have to build this database, and then share what they’ve gathered with other people on their website?”

By Dylan Sharpe

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Big Brother Watch Posted in Databases, Overbearing state
  • http://profile.typepad.com/6p0120a64d13b7970c www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=703511392

    How long before this data is hacked, lost or left on a USB data stick on a train?

  • http://alastairs-place.net alastair

    “How long before this data is hacked, lost or left on a USB data stick on a train?”
    While this particular database does seem intrusive and ridiculous, the whole “hack/loss” business *should never happen*. Proper database software (i.e. proper DBMSs with a database server) provide access controls that would prevent those things from occurring.
    The argument against this database is that it’s intrusive, not that it will necessarily be lost or hacked. We know how to prevent both of the latter things from happening.

  • http://profile.typepad.com/6p0120a64d13b7970c www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=703511392

    Alistair, I agree but sadly this government seems to give away our data with every box of Kellog’s Frosties.
    Hardly a week go’s by without some department leaking our data.

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