Is selling databases unethical?

I see quite a lot of cases where people are selling copies of databases from forums and dating sites etc and personally think this is just wrong. People submit their details to a site in good faith, sometimes too good I know, and I think it's kind of an invasion of their privacy to then sell that info on to someone else who will use it on another website so, in effect, people are being signed up to services against their will.

I run a number of forums and a couple of dating sites and wouldn't dream of selling the data to someone else, or even exchanging the data between my own sites - I would just feel wrong in doing this and like I've betrayed the trust of my members.

Anyways I wondered what others thought about these sales, do you agree or am I wrong?

 

thats a breach of the data protection act:

Lawyers version: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/Acts1998/ukpga_19980029_en_1
Less Boring Version: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Protection_Act

do with that information what you will.

 

That's just a UK law though, it wont affect people anywhere else and it doesn't stop the sales on DP, or indeed people from buying the DBs.

For instance: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=785052

 

and i can almost garuntee that those sites contain british citizens details.

 

Personally I believe it's something not ethical , anyway it depends from which point of view do you look at it

 

andymayo i'm not sure you actually understand the Data Protection Act...

 

Fair enough mate. so what your saying is go to russia to do my dirty work?

 

So can you tell me from which point of view it is okay, playing Devil's advocate?

 

Selling data bases definitely raises the question of ethics. I think it really depends on how slimy a person is as to what their opinion will be. I personally would say it is unethical and should be illegal no matter where you are. Unfortunatly there are some shady people out their that will sell them and the even shadier person that will buy them.

 

I think a lot of people buying them on DP and other places aren't purposely unethical but want a quick way yo fill up their sites with members and perhaps haven't thought about how bad it is, but they should think about it - I'm sure they wouldn't be happy joining a website about stamps only to have their membership transfered to a site about something completely different then start getting emails from it, or worse still being added to a huge general spam list.