Rt. Hon. John F. Spellar MP

25th June 2009

Local Member of Parliament John Spellar has written to the incoming Information Commissioner voicing his concerns over the launch of a new mobile phone directory service.

The service is provided by a company called Connectivity who offer to act as a go-between between their customers and the mobile phone users they are searching for. Connectivity are reported to have bought details of 16 million mobile phone numbers from brokers who have obtained the numbers from market research companies. News of the service has prompted thousands of concerned mobile phone users to contact their service providers but the mobile phone companies have no relationship with Connectivity.

Mr Spellar’s letter said:

“I am troubled by what I have discovered. It seems to me that Connectivity have important questions to answer regarding the source of their data and how mobile phone numbers came to be traded for profit in this way. I am also unconvinced by the company’s claim that they are not contravening the DPA because they are merely acting as an intermediary between consenting parties.”