As the SKWAWKBOX showed on Saturday, there is evidence that Labour’s right-leaning HQ may be ‘data-scraping’ Labour members’ social media accounts – collating even social media accounts that do not use an email address that is registered with the party.
There are serious concerns among members that this is in preparation for a further ‘purge’ of left-wing members at some future point – and, as members have by definition given no permission for such unconnected data to be used, that it constitutes a breach of the DPA (Data Protection Act).
As a result of that article, more members have come forward with details of their experiences and concerns – experiences that not only support the likelihood that Labour is engaged in accessing and collating social media data that members have not provided, let alone given the party permission to use – but also that make clear the psychological impact it is having on some members.
Below is a typical account received from a SKWAWKBOX reader:
I was so paranoid last year about being purged for being a Corbyn supporter, that I set up a new email address on my FB account. I then received Labour emails to my new email address.
It made me wonder how on earth they had my new email address. The whole fear of being purged definitely impacted on my mental health and has permanently changed my online behaviour.
I have never been abusive or spent my time slagging MPs off online so I shouldn’t have anything to worry about but I still find myself censoring what I do write as it feels like Big Brother is always looking over my shoulder, which is awful when you think about it.
Last year, a Labour compliance officer told a member complaining about the accessing of her private social media:
Anything on the internet is accessible if you know the right codes to put in.
You can listen to the full conversation below:
The party denied that it was using any codes to access members’ private data, but these renewed reports yesterday and today raise fresh concerns.
The SKWAWKBOX will be contacting Labour and the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) about this tomorrow and will post further information as soon as available.
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Reblogged this on sideshowtog.
It is of the highest priority to the expansion of the Labour Party and the return of a Labour Government that all Labour employees involved in this illegal misuse of the data of Labour Party members be sacked by the Labour Party.
The fact that these dismissals for gross misconduct and for breaking Data Protection laws have not already occurred points directly to the guilt and complicity in this gross misconduct of Iain McNicol, the General Secretary of the Labour Party.
It is time for the party to carry out a full investigation into the programme of data abuse being run by Iain McNicol.
You’re absolutely right there should be an investigation and not an internal one, it needs an outside body to investigate these actions, given the laws that allegedly are and have been broken the police might be the best choice. Our party can’t govern this country properly whilst this sort of thing is going on behind closed doors
if you use your real name on fb you’re doing it wrong.
those sneaky fuckers.
Could this be bought up at Conference ? Get it out into the open and put the spot light on McNicol and the other staff who are doing this
If they’re scraping data, then it’s publicly available data. That doesn’t breach the DPA. Anyone can scrape that data, or pull it from the platform’s api.
Skwawkbox, I think you’re great, but this is silly.
Getting data isn’t really the issue. *Using* data without the member’s consent is. If a member hasn’t given a Twitter ID or email address to Labour, s/he hasn’t given consent for it to be used by them for anything, so any use of it should breach the consent requirement – and the transparency requirement is still a huge issue because they won’t say what they’re doing or how they will use it
All members need to savvy, Labour is not one big happy United family do not give out social media addresses or names in party accounts.
YES, I GOT MUCH THE SAME WHEN I WAS SUSPENDED.
FROM THE SECOND JEREMY CORBIN ELECTION!
PRACTICALLY THE SAME BS WORD FOR WORD IN THE LETTER I RECEIVED FROM IAIN MCNICHOL SIGNED BY HIM!
MY MEMBERSHIP WAS REINSTATED AFTER THE VOTE!
IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR!
I’M, STILL NONE THE WISER!
EVEN AFTER MANY PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS!
IS THERE A TOP SECRET INVESTIGATION GOING ON?
TO GET ENOUGH EVIDENCE TOGETHER, PLOD CAN THEN START ISSUING WARRANTS FOR THE CULPRITS ARRESTS SO MAYBE WE CAN GET JUSTICE?
Good for her with her persistence. This cannot be allowed and if our privacy can be sabotaged for political screening from the labour party the NEC and in particlar our Corbyn hating Secretary need to be accountable.