Appropriate use of phone recording clarified
new-zealand-labour-party
Thu Apr 11 2013 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Appropriate use of phone recording clarified
Thursday, 11 April 2013, 4:53 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Lianne
DALZIEL
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Spokesperson
Earthquake Commission Spokesperson
Clayton
COSGROVE
Labour List MP based in Waimakariri
11 April 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT
Appropriate use of phone recording clarified
Concerns about the appropriate use of phone recordings by government agencies were clarified by the Privacy Commissioner today, say Labour MPs Lianne Dalziel and Clayton Cosgrove.
“New Zealanders can be reassured that when a government agency or business says they are recording a phone call for quality or training purposes it cannot use that information for anything else.
“This is a basic principle of privacy that all New Zealanders expect.
“However, the inappropriate use of phone recordings has been highlighted by EQC’s response to one of its security breaches, where people felt they had not been treated seriously.
“In a recent case, a Canterbury woman had contacted EQC to say they had emailed information about someone else’s property claim. She said that EQC had treated it like a joke and just laughed it off.
“EQC then used its Privacy Breach Fact Sheet as an opportunity to respond to the complaint saying; “It has also been alleged in media that EQC staff “laughed off” a privacy breach notification. EQC records call centre contact and a review of the relevant calls showed that the caller was treated respectfully,” Lianne Dalziel said.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
Labour MP, Clayton Cosgrove, who originally raised this particular breach, said he was surprised to learn that EQC had chosen not to contact the person who had a justifiable complaint having received someone else’s information.
“EQC should have dealt with the claim directly. Refuting this claim in a fact sheet for general distribution is appalling. This is an inappropriate use of the information and EQC should know better,” Clayton Cosgove said.
“I am pleased that the Privacy Commissioner was able to clarify the proper use of phone recordings today. I hope that EQC now understand that they have just added insult to injury and created another breach of privacy,” Lianne Dalziel said
ENDS
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.