T-Mo UK selling user data like cheap narcotic…

Some people sell crafts. Some people sell services. Some people sell drugs while other people sell user data…waaait…what? Chances are your user data has been sold to the highest bidder — if you’re a T-Mobile UK user. While we’d like to believe carriers have our best interests in mind, we are always getting reminded such isn’t the case. Apparently some jerky T-Mo UK employees took it upon themselves to provide “millions of records” concerning “thousands of users” to third party “phone firms”.

Allow me to set the scene for you — a nice, warm, relaxing holiday get together with your family. You’re sitting down getting ready to feast with family from all over the country of whom you see once a year when all of a sudden your celly starts blaring “drop it like it’s hot” in front of your entire family. It wouldn’t be so bad if you weren’t a 60 year old man, but there’s stranger things in this world…. Upon picking up the phone you’re greeted with an all to chipper salesman trying to pitch a cellular contract renewal or god knows what else just as your taste buds are salivating for a piece of the delectable carcass sitting in front of you, filling your senses with the pleasures of fine cuisine.

Sucks doesn’t it? Such breaches of data on the providers end and disruptions in daily life on the end user’s spectrum are both undesirable outcomes all due to someone getting a little too greedy. Law enforcement in the British Kingdom isn’t taking this lightly thankfully and is even pushing a hasher punishment than the standard £5,000 fine — even presenting jail time as a consequence.

Has anyone’s data been used to steal their identity or do any other kinds of nefarious acts of wrong doing? Not yet. In reality such things are highly unlikely. But it does make us question just how trustworthy these large corporations are, especially when massive amounts of user data are concerned.

T-Mo UK users: Any good/bad/indifferent experiences to share regarding this not so cheery development?

MobileCrunch > BBC

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