Comments on: Maria l-Maws speaks out

By: Ivan M

Ivan M — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:52:40 +0000

@ Jason Spiteri

How is jason.spiteri@maltaISP.com not identifiable?

But I ask again, WHY did they collect them? Was there any valid reason, from a practical joke point of view?

How can I trust a party that cannot even do a practical joke in good taste or well organised?

1) It’s published a day too early – bad organisation.
2) It’s easily traceable to them – bad planning.
3) It collects (questionably) personal data for no apparent good reason – doubtful motives.

By: my name is Leonard but my son calls me Joey

my name is Leonard but my son calls me Joey — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:32:18 +0000

I think the giveaway was the name of the proposed channel – how are people supposed to connect SHN TV, with the Maltese words ‘shun’ or ‘shuna’? Pity someone had already thought of FOX TV.

By: Jason Spiteri

Jason Spiteri — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:19:28 +0000

@Abuse of Information: I wouldn’t worry too much about data protection – any email address people typed in there is probably a secret one they use to chat-cheat on their spouses anyhow! In any case I doubt whether they contravened any data protection provision – I think that Act has a requirement that the data must be identifiable with a person to fall within its scope.

Of more concern is the thought that those 2000 gullible fools may have contributed to electing MPs in Parliament…not that I blame them for falling for it. As somebody pointed out, the only country with free and widespread internet use in the civilised world where that scenario would be plausible is Malta!

By: Ronnie

Ronnie — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:57:39 +0000

re maltastar april fool’s joke.

i guess there is nothing wrong with the joke itself. what i think was in bad taste was the fact that they collected personal information. It added nohing to the joke itself, so why did they bother?

By: Ivan M

Ivan M — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:26:40 +0000

WHY were they gathering email addresses in the first place? That’s the question they should be answering. They absolutely had no need to.

By: amrio

amrio — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:57:49 +0000

@Abuse of information

I agree – having an email address gatherer in the spoof adult website was silly, albeit mildly dangerous. But after all, you, like myself, has written entries to this blog and we have also supplied email adresses to Daphne (or whoever). I don’t think that neither the owners of this blog nor maltastar will do anything illegal with these addresses.

The worse that can happen is to receive lots of MLP memorabilia in your email account. Easy, just set the maltastar email address as spam…

By: Abuse of information

Abuse of information — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:00:33 +0000

@ amrio & Amanda

Who can guarantee that the e-mail addressess were actually destroyed? Did anyone from the general public or from the Data Protection Department attend to such a process?

Can anyone guarantee that such information has not been held by anyone?

This is a dangerous probability.

By: Meerkat :)

Meerkat :) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:56:31 +0000

@ amrio

Hey long time no see! I sort of waited for you to tick me off or give me a copy for my bringing this blog down with my girly comments but Ivan M deputised for you admirably ;-)

By: freethinker

freethinker — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:10:18 +0000

Re: the maltastar April fool’s joke. Hasn’t it occurred to anyone to comment that this joke is only possible in Malta? Yes, because it is only in this country in the whole of Europe where adults accept meekly, sheepishly and willingly to be told by sanctimonious censors what to watch and what to read. Only in this country do adults allow themselves to be treated like children by other adults and prevented from watching what is not good for them in case they use their hands to do bad things which can make them go blind. Only in this country are adults content to be prevented by other adults from living their own life and to divorce or not divorce when their marriages have long been extinguished. Yes, it is the last heroic bastion of Catholicism in Europe and it will now continue to be so for at least another five years because it is in the political interest of some to let obscurantism flourish. The last fortress, a Masada, defying the whole continent of which it deludes itself of forming part. Who says this paradise is no longer “Malta fior del mondo”? Perhaps even the moderator will consider it opportune to censor this post…

[Moderator – I’m no fan of obscurantism either. I think the title of that article says it all: ‘…in talks…’ as though they are negotiating the nuclear disarmament of North Korea.]

By: Ivan M

Ivan M — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:05:13 +0000

Yes, most April Fool’s jokes are lame, but at least they all appear on 1st April not 31st March.

It’s the tiny details …