Another breech of our privacy?

I recently recieved an email about a new service that will give out your mobile number to people, after checking it’s ok to do with you supposedly.

The company behind the 118 800 service, Connectivity, has bought 15m numbers from list brokers, market researchers and online businesses that store personal details, amounting to 40% of those in regular use in the UK.
(from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jul/12/mobile-phone-service-privacy, Accessed online: 12th July 2009)

It seems these days you can’t have any privacy. Apparently the service crashed when thousands of people went to their website to protect their privacy and register themselves as ex-directory:

Controversial new mobile phone directory service 118800.co.uk has crashed, after thousands of users flocked online to remove their numbers from the site, according to reports.

The site, which launched last month, now displays holding page which reads “service suspended while we make improvements”.
(from: http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2245896/mobile-directory-crashes, Accessed online: 12th July 2009)

What is most annoying is:

However, UK data protection watchdog the Information Commissioner’s office has given a green light to the service..
(from: http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2245896/mobile-directory-crashes, Accessed online: 12th July 2009)

They are giving away our privacy without consultation to the highest bidder. I come home on a rare evening off an feel invaded by sales calls in my own home to the land line. I am ex-directory, but the meaning of that term seems to have changed. Does anybody remember a time when ex-directory, really mean’t ex-directory?

What do you think about this service and our privacy?

Write soon,

Antony