Sunday 18 December 2011

The Subject Access Request Xmas Ditty


It’s that time of the year when we can let our guard down a little and enjoy awful puns and think more about the lighter side of life.

Data protecting can be a depressing game if you let it, as all we data protection folk seem to see these days are the bad news stories. It’s not that easy to find shining examples of things going right.

And I’m sure that plenty of things are going right. Indeed, I like to think that there is far more going right than is actually going wrong. When measured against the vast majority of things that do go right, I hope that these bad incidents will be seen, in proportion and siginificance, as just as important as a pimple on an elephant’s bottom.

Let’s accentuate the positive, for once, and not just focus on the negative. I’m a glass half full man, not a glass half empty one.

Anyway, with that in mind, may I offer seasonal greetings to all my readers, and send my very best wishes for what’s likely to be a really busy New Year.


A is for Aaaaaaaaaagh, when I read today’s email
From that blighter of a customer whose threatening me with jail

Deaf to my protestations that we haven’t kept eny
Hold on – he’s still writing, claiming there are many

Of his facts and opinions, information galore
Lurking unnoticed in our digital store:

Go and hunt for it and now, or Mistress Justice will play her part
In stringing you up by the knackers, until you look less smart

“Let this be a lesson, from a man who’s never wrong
About how you should observe a personal information ding dong”


[Later, after the ICO investigation]

Quelle surprise, it’s really simple, and according to tradition
It seems I’ve shown him all that’s in the statutory definition

There’s no need to sign any undertakings, victory is in sight,
Wilmslow says “happy Xmas! this yokel of a zealot is wrong and you really right.”


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