Teenager taps into idol's life

By EUGENE BINGHAM

She was a star-struck teenager. He was a television celebrity she revered.

At the stroke of a key, she knew she could glean personal details about her idol's life from her father's account with a credit-reporting company.

The temptation was too great - and so began one of the most unusual cases of privacy invasion dealt with in New Zealand. The girl hacked into the account to see what she could find out about the celebrity.

Soon after she had tapped into the computer, her dad found out and made her write to Privacy Commissioner Bruce Slane to confess all and apologise. The father also asked Mr Slane to write back pointing out the error of the girl's ways.

The girl said that she had used the account to find out the star's address because she was a fan and wanted to write a letter.

"Mr Slane asked her to think about how she would like other people to treat her information, particularly sensitive information like medical records and credit reports, and to treat other people's information in the same way," said the commissioner's newsletter, Private Word.

"Television personalities need, more than most others, people to respect their privacy and to refrain from searching for information simply because they are curious."

No details of the identities of the people involved have been disclosed.

Details of the state of the star's credit rating have not been divulged either.

Herald Online feature: Privacy

Privacy Commissioner (NZ)

Electronic Privacy Information Centre (USA)

ACLU Echelon Watch (USA)

Cyber Rights and Liberties (UK)