This is Tamworth -- STAFFORDSHIRE Police have agreed not to use the hashtag #DrinkDriversNamedonTwitter again – after they were investigated by the Information Commissioners Office. The ICO says that no further action is to be taken against the force over their controversial Christmas campaign which saw 86 motorists, including several from Tamworth, charged with drink-driving, named on Twitter before even a court appearance. The campaign was backed by many Twitter and Facebook users, but serious concerns were raised by others, with a complaint being made to the ICO, an independent authority which safeguards data privacy. One Facebook user said: "There's no real doubt that most of the public are opposed to drink-driving, but I also suspect that most of us are also opposed to trial and judgement by social media." Another added: "As a woman who lost her leg and arm in an accident caused by a driver four times over the legal limit I still think it's wrong. "Drink-driving disgusts me, but I believe in the legal justice system and not personal vendettas." The ICO investigation was to check if the Twitter campaign fitted in with the Data Protection Act's fair and lawful processing principle. The ICO said it had received an assurance from Staffordshire Police that it would not use the hashtag #DrinkDriversNamedOnTwitter in future campaigns. An ICO spokesman said: "Our concern was that naming people who have only been charged alongside the label 'drink-driver' strongly implies a presumption of guilt for the offence. "We have received reassurances from Staffordshire Police the hashtag will no longer be used in this way and are happy with the procedures they have in place. "As a result, we will be taking no further action." Staffordshire was one of two Midlands police forces to use the tactic. The other, West Midlands Police, was not investigated. In December, lawyer Nick Freeman – nicknamed Mr Loophole – called on Staffordshire's police and crime commissioner Matthew Ellis to resign over the policy, saying it "demonstrated a cavalier disregard for the presumption of innocence". But Mr Ellis said the details were "a matter of public record".
Reported by This is 9 hours ago.
This is Tamworth -- STAFFORDSHIRE Police have agreed not to use the hashtag #DrinkDriversNamedonTwitter again – after they were investigated by the Information Commissioners Office. The ICO says that no further action is to be taken against the force over their controversial Christmas campaign which saw 86 motorists, including several from Tamworth, charged with drink-driving, named on Twitter before even a court appearance. The campaign was backed by many Twitter and Facebook users, but serious concerns were raised by others, with a complaint being made to the ICO, an independent authority which safeguards data privacy. One Facebook user said: "There's no real doubt that most of the public are opposed to drink-driving, but I also suspect that most of us are also opposed to trial and judgement by social media." Another added: "As a woman who lost her leg and arm in an accident caused by a driver four times over the legal limit I still think it's wrong. "Drink-driving disgusts me, but I believe in the legal justice system and not personal vendettas." The ICO investigation was to check if the Twitter campaign fitted in with the Data Protection Act's fair and lawful processing principle. The ICO said it had received an assurance from Staffordshire Police that it would not use the hashtag #DrinkDriversNamedOnTwitter in future campaigns. An ICO spokesman said: "Our concern was that naming people who have only been charged alongside the label 'drink-driver' strongly implies a presumption of guilt for the offence. "We have received reassurances from Staffordshire Police the hashtag will no longer be used in this way and are happy with the procedures they have in place. "As a result, we will be taking no further action." Staffordshire was one of two Midlands police forces to use the tactic. The other, West Midlands Police, was not investigated. In December, lawyer Nick Freeman – nicknamed Mr Loophole – called on Staffordshire's police and crime commissioner Matthew Ellis to resign over the policy, saying it "demonstrated a cavalier disregard for the presumption of innocence". But Mr Ellis said the details were "a matter of public record".
Reported by This is 9 hours ago.