Data Protection violation? What should I do?

[killahwhale]

Balthazar, I honestly hope something like this doesn't happen to you and someone acts as discordingly.

Let me clarify first, this individual has never been a friend.

The tweet was saved for me to call the individual up at the time on why they'd done what they did.

Sometimes with uncomfortable issues things take time to arise and I would not have acted if it didn't cause me harm. I don't have to divulge the inner working of my private life.

After this had affected my private life I had no choice but to protect myself in the only way I knew how.

In regards to to the tweet, I would contest the length of time it was up for and on twitter it's easy to see conversations between people, there is a specific tab to see @ messages so, when the individual tweeted me anyone following me for that period of time could see the tweet if they were looking.

Myself, my friends and family members are twitter users, this would have been plain in the light of day.

I have acted fairly and accordingly, every step of the way I have attempted to protect the identity of both of us. I have been completely open on this, a public forum, and have no lust for vengeance.

You're free to believe what you wish, I however will act when such destructive information is publicly posted and when it affects my private life.

I will post further information when advised by the GRA later this afternoon.

 

[killahwhale]

If you were truely sorry you wouldn't try to present your self as a victim after breaking the law.

As I've said, once I've consulted the GRA, I will be happy to post any applicable Facebook chat.

Personally I cannot imagine not remember at any time giving someone, whom i bearly knew, permission to view my account but I will review everything and act according to the information provided to me by the relevant authorities.

 

[Nate]

Something is not right here....

Nate

 

[killahwhale]

I'll be more than happy to clear things up once I've consulted the GRA in relation to posting private conversations relating to the matter on here.

I have no issue doing so if they say it won't affect my case.

In the mean time, I would really like to thank all those for their support and I hope that this doesn't ever happen to another member of Casinomeister.

 

[Balthazar]

I have been completely open on this, a public forum, and have no lust for vengeance.

(...)

I will post further information when advised by the GRA later this afternoon.

If you have no lust for vengeance, drop the case and leave the GRA alone. Guy lost his job what more do you want?

Let's be honest here...if things got out of control to the point that it created important family problems it's 100% your fault, not his. Right now you remind me of a guy who cheated on his wife and got mad because someone didn't pay attention and mentioned it while she was in the room. It sucks, but ultimately who's fault is it?

 

[killahwhale]

Balthazar you don't even deserve a response.

My case with the GRA was opened after recommendations. The GRA will advise me and I will act accordingly.

Any further queries would be regarding BetVictor and not the individual.

I will refrain from posting here till further advise has been sought.

 

[Nifty29]

If you have no lust for vengeance, drop the case and leave the GRA alone. Guy lost his job what more do you want?

Let's be honest here...if things got out of control to the point that it created important family problems it's 100% your fault, not his. Right now you remind me of a guy who cheated on his wife and got mad because someone didn't pay attention and mentioned it while she was in the room. It sucks, but ultimately who's fault is it?

You're right.

The more the OP posts, the more he reveals his true motives....and they are desperate, selfish and incredibly greedy.

Here are some interesting excerpts:

Admittedly I did accept an apology when it initially happened without fully understanding the implications a simple
tweet could have on private life. I've been clear from the start that the tweet was months ago but that the effects
of the tweet that was seen at the time have only been made clear to me now..

Well that's interesting. It certainly is not the impression you gave in the beginning i.e. that they had apologized.

Apparently, the tweet was a YEAR ago....but "several months" makes it sound more recent and better for your case I guess.

You say your family has "now" read it. So, they were unaware of it for nearly a year, and now suddenly they all know. Considering the tweet was deleted within 15 mins (let's make it 30 minutes to be fair), and that the tweet did not show up to more than a handful of people, and that ONE family member "saved" it, I'm having a hard time grasping how, all of a sudden, everyone knows...??

Surely "the family" would have known a year ago when one of them saved it? Or did that family member keep it secret for you, or for their own purposes? Either way, the cat got out of the bag somehow....or did it? Was it YOU that deliberately told everyone about the tweet just recently, after you had taken big losses, so that you could then claim that the tweet "destroyed your family life" or "had a negative impact on your life"? If so, and I believe this is quite possible given what I think your REAL motive is (which I will outline at the end of this post), then it is YOU or this "other family member" that "caused" the negative consequences by revealing information that everyone else knew NOTHING about i.e. if the rest of your family didn't see the tweet before it was deleted, and were only shown it by yourself or your relative, then IMO it is NOT the tweeter's fault what happens afterwards.

I could be wrong, but your behaviour is leaving you open to other theories, as what you have been saying just doesn't "add up".

and only recently has it come to have a negative impact on my private life to the point that it's caused damage to

my family life that I couldn't have predicted

...and the tweeter COULD have predicted it?

If the tweeter was the ONLY source that your family had as to your gambling behaviour, then he bears some responsibility...and he has paid the ultimate price as an employee.

If not, then it's going to be difficult to prove that it was all down to the tweeter, and difficult to pursue your REAL goals and motives.

After this had affected my private life I had no choice but to protect myself in the only way I knew how.

How did you "protect yourself" exactly?

It's like shutting the stable doors after the horse has bolted. You no longer play there, and haven't for ages, so what was the "threat"?

It's not about protection is it.

Myself, my friends and family members are twitter users, this would have been plain in the light of day.

Except that it wasn't.

In fact, only ONE family member saw it....and "saved" it for some odd reason. I wonder why......

You're free to believe what you wish, I however will act when such destructive information is publicly posted and

when it affects my private life.

Thankyou. I will.

You have an odd interpretation of "public". I would have thought posting something directed at another that only a handful of family and friends can see is PRIVATE, not public. Posting at CM is public. Sending a letter to 10 of your family and friends is NOT public, and that's pretty much what happened AFAIC, except electronically.

Incidentally....how did it "affect your private life"? Was it the tweet itself that "affected" things, or YOUR gambling habits? Think about that for a second.

The complainant informed me on Facebook chat during one of our casual conversations (again, this is all on record)
that he had been gambling with BV and was going to self exclude the account. I told him I'd check his account when I
was in next, to which he replied "ok". I acknowledge that I was completely in the wrong for looking at his account.

So, you "hardly knew" Gibboplayer, but you added him as a friend on Facebook. Maybe I'm strange, but I only add people I know on FB, and only people I have some regular contact with. It sounds like a bit more than "some guy I know at the casino" to me.

I also wonder if this FB connection enable you to receive and special bonuses or promotions, or some perks of some kind. Maybe Gibbo can clear that up.

He said he was GOING to self-exclude....not that he HAD. At this point it seems the account was still open.

It also appears the OP gave Gibbo permission to check his account. IMO, this changes things in the sense that he did not just "go in to his account" for no reason or for his own curiosity, but rather at the behest of the OP. Of course, he should not have tweeted about it, and he accepts that totally and, as I said, has paid the price. I do, however, think it shows HIS motives in a different light, and adds more fuel to my speculation about the OP's motives.

Based on what I've seen and read....and this is only my opinion....I believe that the OP has orchestrated a fair chunk of this after either a) being found out by his family, B) losing his shirt, or c) both.

It is obvious to me that the REAL motive of the OP is NOT "justice" or "protection" or any other noble cause.

It's all about $$$$$$$$$$$.

If it wasn't, the issue would be well and truly over.

It also doesn't take a scientist to work out what the difference in financial compensation might be between a tweet that basically nobody saw and that had little or no real impact, and a tweet from a year ago that "suddenly" came to the attention of the OPs family and caused a whole host of awful consequences. If the OPs goal is money to cover his gambling losses, which IMO it is, then there would be a lot of sense in making sure EVERYBODY saw that tweet and that there was as much impact as possible.

As I said, it's all about MONEY.

 

[dunover]

You're right.

The more the OP posts, the more he reveals his true motives....and they are desperate, selfish and incredibly greedy.

Here are some interesting excerpts:



Well that's interesting. It certainly is not the impression you gave in the beginning i.e. that they had apologized.

Apparently, the tweet was a YEAR ago....but "several months" makes it sound more recent and better for your case I guess.

You say your family has "now" read it. So, they were unaware of it for nearly a year, and now suddenly they all know. Considering the tweet was deleted within 15 mins (let's make it 30 minutes to be fair), and that the tweet did not show up to more than a handful of people, and that ONE family member "saved" it, I'm having a hard time grasping how, all of a sudden, everyone knows...??

Surely "the family" would have known a year ago when one of them saved it? Or did that family member keep it secret for you, or for their own purposes? Either way, the cat got out of the bag somehow....or did it? Was it YOU that deliberately told everyone about the tweet just recently, after you had taken big losses, so that you could then claim that the tweet "destroyed your family life" or "had a negative impact on your life"? If so, and I believe this is quite possible given what I think your REAL motive is (which I will outline at the end of this post), then it is YOU or this "other family member" that "caused" the negative consequences by revealing information that everyone else knew NOTHING about i.e. if the rest of your family didn't see the tweet before it was deleted, and were only shown it by yourself or your relative, then IMO it is NOT the tweeter's fault what happens afterwards.

I could be wrong, but your behaviour is leaving you open to other theories, as what you have been saying just doesn't "add up".



...and the tweeter COULD have predicted it?

If the tweeter was the ONLY source that your family had as to your gambling behaviour, then he bears some responsibility...and he has paid the ultimate price as an employee.

If not, then it's going to be difficult to prove that it was all down to the tweeter, and difficult to pursue your REAL goals and motives.



How did you "protect yourself" exactly?

It's like shutting the stable doors after the horse has bolted. You no longer play there, and haven't for ages, so what was the "threat"?

It's not about protection is it.



Except that it wasn't.

In fact, only ONE family member saw it....and "saved" it for some odd reason. I wonder why......



Thankyou. I will.

You have an odd interpretation of "public". I would have thought posting something directed at another that only a handful of family and friends can see is PRIVATE, not public. Posting at CM is public. Sending a letter to 10 of your family and friends is NOT public, and that's pretty much what happened AFAIC, except electronically.

Incidentally....how did it "affect your private life"? Was it the tweet itself that "affected" things, or YOUR gambling habits? Think about that for a second.



So, you "hardly knew" Gibboplayer, but you added him as a friend on Facebook. Maybe I'm strange, but I only add people I know on FB, and only people I have some regular contact with. It sounds like a bit more than "some guy I know at the casino" to me.

I also wonder if this FB connection enable you to receive and special bonuses or promotions, or some perks of some kind. Maybe Gibbo can clear that up.

He said he was GOING to self-exclude....not that he HAD. At this point it seems the account was still open.

It also appears the OP gave Gibbo permission to check his account. IMO, this changes things in the sense that he did not just "go in to his account" for no reason or for his own curiosity, but rather at the behest of the OP. Of course, he should not have tweeted about it, and he accepts that totally and, as I said, has paid the price. I do, however, think it shows HIS motives in a different light, and adds more fuel to my speculation about the OP's motives.

Based on what I've seen and read....and this is only my opinion....I believe that the OP has orchestrated a fair chunk of this after either a) being found out by his family, B) losing his shirt, or c) both.

It is obvious to me that the REAL motive of the OP is NOT "justice" or "protection" or any other noble cause.

It's all about $$$$$$$$$$$.

If it wasn't, the issue would be well and truly over.

It also doesn't take a scientist to work out what the difference in financial compensation might be between a tweet that basically nobody saw and that had little or no real impact, and a tweet from a year ago that "suddenly" came to the attention of the OPs family and caused a whole host of awful consequences. If the OPs goal is money to cover his gambling losses, which IMO it is, then there would be a lot of sense in making sure EVERYBODY saw that tweet and that there was as much impact as possible.

As I said, it's all about MONEY.

I can understand that theory Nifty. It was obvious from the O post that the O poster had lost a significant sum. Assuming he has got into trouble via his habit, it may be a case of him providing excuses to people in his life for missing money, which later were blown out of the water when the tweet was mentioned. Unfortunately for BV and their (ex) employee, they have shot themselves in the foot in a big way whatever the motive of the OP.

I only hope because of my faith in human nature that the OP didn't manipulate or manoeuvre the matter regarding the tweet. In other words chatting to the employee until he was off guard enough to make a mistake like he did.

 

[gibboplayer]

I also wonder if this FB connection enable you to receive and special bonuses or promotions, or some perks of some kind. Maybe Gibbo can clear that up.

I can assure you that he did not receive any special bonuses or promotions or any other offer from me. When I accessed his account, it was already closed.

By the way Nifty29, the screenshot of the Tweet was not taken by a third party, it was taken by the complainant himself. If you look, the screenshot shows the "Connect" page which displays direct interactions to the user from their own account.

 

[Nifty29]

I can assure you that he did not receive any special bonuses or promotions or any other offer from me. When I accessed his account, it was already closed.

By the way Nifty29, the screenshot of the Tweet was not taken by a third party, it was taken by the complainant himself. If you look, the screenshot shows the "Connect" page which displays direct interactions to the user from their own account.

Ok thanks gibbo.

I knew he took a screenie, but he is saying a family member also took a screenie, which I find very odd indeed. The only reason I can think of for a third party to save it would be to use it later for some purpose, and possibly at the instigation of the OP to strengthen his case. If the OP had nothing to do with it, then the other party must have known it was going to be deleted....and how would they know that? A fifteen minute window is very small.

Something doesn't smell right about this "other family member" taking screenies etc.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that the OP is implementing a well thought out plan to extract money from you and BV to cover his gambling losses. Its not a stretch of the imagination to consider that he may have been gambling more or bigger stakes since then, knowing that he had an "ace in the hole" ready to spring when either his gambling was discovered or he ran out of money.

As I said, by taking it to the gambling commission etc, and then undoubtedly to a lawyer, after BV have apologized and terminated your employment, the OP has gone beyond what is necessary to resolve the issue. There is no doubt in my mind that its all about the cash for him, and I find that quite distasteful and incredibly greedy, given that he would be effectively suing a recently unemployed man with a family. It ain't about vindictiveness, that's for sure.

 

[dunover]

Ok thanks gibbo.

I knew he took a screenie, but he is saying a family member also took a screenie, which I find very odd indeed. The only reason I can think of for a third party to save it would be to use it later for some purpose, and possibly at the instigation of the OP to strengthen his case. If the OP had nothing to do with it, then the other party must have known it was going to be deleted....and how would they know that? A fifteen minute window is very small.

Something doesn't smell right about this "other family member" taking screenies etc.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that the OP is implementing a well thought out plan to extract money from you and BV to cover his gambling losses. Its not a stretch of the imagination to consider that he may have been gambling more or bigger stakes since then, knowing that he had an "ace in the hole" ready to spring when either his gambling was discovered or he ran out of money.

As I said, by taking it to the gambling commission etc, and then undoubtedly to a lawyer, after BV have apologized and terminated your employment, the OP has gone beyond what is necessary to resolve the issue. There is no doubt in my mind that its all about the cash for him, and I find that quite distasteful and incredibly greedy, given that he would be effectively suing a recently unemployed man with a family. It ain't about vindictiveness, that's for sure.

It IS strange. The awkward questions are being asked now, and the OP 'cannot' post further regarding this. The OP couldn't sue a recently unemployed man here (well he could try but juris prudence would rule out anyone taking up the case.) In the UK the employer or business would be sued. They are responsible here for any actions their employees take while in their time or on their premises or in use of company facilities. If the guy serving you beer in a bar here suddenly has a breakdown and starts spraying beer over the customers, the bar pays out or is sued.
The business could theoretically then chase the (ex) employee for repayment, but it would be fruitless unless the person had significant assets, or personal liability insurance which is rare.
The fines for DPA breaches here are quite punitive. One council got fined 60,000 pounds for simply sending a confidential social report to the sister of the person who was supposed to receive it, after the intended recipient complained. Banks have been fined millions for not securing data properly, or not encrypting it when being posted on CD ROMs etc. BV could end up in some serious sheer-hite over this and it appears the OP knows this. If he didn't, I think us lot on here have given food for thought.

 

[Balthazar]

I knew he took a screenie, but he is saying a family member also took a screenie, which I find very odd indeed.

You don't even have to go that far. Taking a screenshot and sitting on it for a year, and then claiming that the tweet JUST affected his life is BS. It has to be, think about it for a second.

That said, I hope you're wrong about him trying to get money out of this. Personally, I prefer to believe that the guy got dumped by his wife because of gambling issues and now he's trying to blame others instead of taking responsibility.

 

[sparkz]

Maybe i'll be slated for this but I actually don't see it as serious as people are making out.

When I worked in retail, management had to do refunds. The customer had to write their name and address on some paper before they received their money back. Obviously the address and name was kept as a record so a customer couldnt argue they didnt have a refund or if their was any funny business going on, the customers could be contacted. The address was only meant to be viewed by head office or management.

I had full training on the data protection act, knew what was right and what was wrong, but from time to time I would look on the refund receipt's at someones address just out of curiosity. If the person looked rough I could look at their address and think "yep, I new they would be living in that area" or have the occasional surprise that someone lives in a million pound mansion.

There was no intent to write down the address's or pass them onto other people and at the time I didnt think there was anything bad in it. Only now did I think back to it and realised that I was not permitted to view that info.

Relating to this topic it sounds like it was the same thing. The casino staff member didnt think at the time, in fact they saw it as an innocent bit of banter that wasnt intended to harm anyone.

"Self Excluding" doesnt always mean you have a gambling problem. You may do it because you have been having bad luck often or you may even do it because you don't want to play there anymore but like to know that account is closed. (Like many I have "self excluded" a few times which were not for having a gambling problem).

The money lost wasnt mentioned and from the way its worded, it was clearly wasnt aimed in a bad way, if it was it would be more like "Such an idiot!! Good job you got that S/E!!". I'm nearly certain that the staff member wouldnt of done that if he didnt know the OP in some way.

I wouldnt be surprised if a lot of staff members at different casino's are viewing accounts of players and discussing it with other staff with no intent that we don't know about. I guess if someone has a job in live support and is new working in the casino industry it will be general instinct to see who has lost or won the most money. A quick search on the records and they could find someone who has lost and won the most, then as they get more friendly with other staff may even comment in person to each other about it... such as saying "What the hell?! Did you see that guys account the other night... He lost £100,000 in an hour...Crazy". Or even live support could comment to each other when some customer whos hard work requests live support by saying "No way... I'm dealing with this idiot again, all he does is complain, wish me luck!!".


If the staff had used the details in a sinister way or to intentionally cause harm/ruin the OP's family relationships then it should be instant dismissal. However this clearly was not the case, they should be retrained and given a warning that if they do anything like that again then they will be fired.

The OP should not get any money off the casino. If he is actually a problem gambler and used the self exclude method for that reason then the worst thing for a problem gambler is to have money, rather than recover they could use that money at another casino and make their addiction worse.


Edit:

Oh and the OP said "I only felt the need to report this when it affected my private life negatively and when I realised the full implications of what had happened and had caused nealgativity in my private life"

You my friend are causing your own negatively in life. Whats the worst that happened from that tweet? Some family found out... I don't know about you but if they don't gamble, they wouldnt know what "S/E" is and may not even think the tweet was gambling related. If they do know about gambling and know what S/E is, then they will know that gambling has a host of problems with it. People don't ask to become addicted, some just get too carried away and need help. It's often the best thing for family to find out and know to help you with recovery.


Obviously this isnt what happened but let's say you did have a serious gambling problem and someone who knew and was concerned told some of your family in the hope they could help you through it. Say your family are disappointed at first. Does that mean the concerned person who told them is to blame??? Simple answer is no, if thats what it took for you to get help with it then it's a good thing but the general idea would be your the person your family are pissed off at because of your actions