Earnings website pulled amid privacy concerns

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 1 May 2008 at 10:44

An Italian website has been forced to remove a section listing the names, addresses and income of every citizen after it was found to be in breach of laws on privacy.

The Government website, which was designed to promote transparency and reduce tax evasion, was launched without warning, and remained online for only 24 hours before a complaint from a privacy watchdog.

"It's a clear violation of privacy laws," says a spokesperson for consumer group ADOC, speaking to Reuters. "A danger for an increase in crime and violence as the data is an irresistible source for criminals."

The news comes just one day after the Inland Revenue attempted to encourage more people to file their tax returns online, by placing the online tax return deadline several months after that for those who file paper forms.

In January the Inland Revenue's website buckled under the strain of hundreds of thousands of users filing their returns the day before the deadline.