Question mark over Tony Blair web privacy policy

'You want to speak to ???????????????? ?'

Posted in Bootnotes, 16th November 2007 10:38 GMT

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Tony Blair kicked off the website for his "foundation" this month, but the man who was a control freak in office seems to be taking a far more relaxed attitude to running his web presence.

The site will be the shop window for all the great things the still young and vibrant if manifestly ex-PM is planning to achieve. It highlights Blair’s valiant efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and even has a copy of a speech - just the one mind you. It also links to his sports foundation. And, well, that’s about it so far.

For a man so adept at controlling the party’s communications and his own public image, it seems ironic that the site was designed and built by Messy Media. It may be less of a surprise it’s hosted by Positive Internet.

Moving onto the site’s privacy policy, we’re not quite sure if we’re surprised that For the purposes of the Data Protection Act of 1998, the Data Controller for Tony Blair is ????????????????.

Is ???????????????? one of Tony’s old compadres from his Number 10 days? Or is it just a case of old habits dying hard when it comes to one of Tony’s team stepping up and taking responsibility?

Either way, we suspect a rousing chorus of Daily Mail outrage will eventually force Tony to regretfully accept the resignation of ????????????????. Then, after a decent interval, ???????????????? will surely be welcomed back to a job at least as responsible.

Perhaps ???????????????? will take on the job of maintaining the website. This should be at least as taxing as enforcing Tony’s privacy policy. After all, according to the site’s terms of use:

The Information [on the site] does not constitute an offer and Tony Blair makes no warranty or representation as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for purpose of the Information or the reliability of access to this Website.

Fitness for purpose. That sounds familiar. Maybe the identity of ???????????????? is not such a mystery after all. ®

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