I recently had to take my car into London, it was a very expensive trip. Apart from the 40p per 5 minutes to park near the office and drop stuff off, I forgot to pay the congestion charge. I discovered the very interesting “data protection” notice on the website before paying:
Transport for London (TfL) and its agents will process your information for the operation of the Congestion Charging Scheme. Processing will include the use of cameras to record data. Your information may be disclosed to, or requested from, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), local authorities, law enforcement agencies and other organisations for the administration (including verification of discount entitlement) and enforcement of the scheme; the prevention and detection of crime and protection of public funds. TfL randomly selects and monitors vehicles subject to a discount to identify possible fraudulent use. If you persistently fail to pay congestion charges due or attempt to defraud the scheme, TfL may record your vehicle’s movements and may disclose relevant details to local authorities and/or law enforcement agencies, to assist in tracing persistent evaders and those committing fraud.
By pressing ‘Accept’ I confirm that I am aware of the data protection information above
2 things. You can’t pay without accepting (but you can if you use the phone). And its pretty much carte blanch to do what they want with your pictures.
Why is it called ‘data protection’ – surely they’re open to being sued under the trade descriptions act!
