Mobile phone data for sale: discussion panel with EE and Ipsos Mori

Recent press reports that suggested that Ipsos Mori was marketing individual mobile network usage data to a range of companies , local authorities and public bodies like the Met Police have generated concern.

Hundreds of people have used ORG's website to ask their mobile phone providers if their data is being sold and how.

The reports suggested that the Metropolitan Police were offered access to mobile users’ individual personal information - including web history, location and spending patterns. The claims were subsequently rejected by Ipsos MORI and mobile operator EE.

Some mobile phone providers contacted by ORG admit allowing third parties access to their customers data, but insist they comply with Data Protection laws. Mobile companies are in a unique position to monitor and record their customers' behaviour as a by-product of their service provision.

Join us for a panel discussion that will clarify the details of this particular case, but also consider the issues raised by the general trend of mobile providers creating products and analytics based on customers data.

What happens to our personal data when companies create these new services? Can the technological measures used by companies truly protect our personal information? Is the current regulatory framework able to deal with these new uses of mobile data? Is there a need for a new Code of Practice? How can customers have a say in what happens to their data? Is "tick-and-forget" "consent enough? Do we need to explore more dynamic engagement models?

The meeting will be hosted by Julian Huppert, MP and the panel will include:

Ben Page, CEO of Ipsos Mori David Nieberg, Senior Communications Manager at Everything Everywhere (EE) Iain Bourne, Group Manager of Policy Delivery at the Information Commissioner's Office Joss Wright, Researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute.