UPDATE: Pipex has issued a statement, which is re-printed at the bottom of this news item.

UK ISP Pipex has been accused of clinging onto the personal details of former customers long after they've cancelled and moved on to pastures new.

The issue first came to light on Thinkbroadband's Pipex forum after the providers new account management website revealed that personal data, including sensitive bank details, had in some cases been retained for up to and over a year:


Unfortunately this potentially illegal practice is not uncommon in the industry, with such details often being abused to SPAM former customers with advertisements for new products long after they've left.

However there is now somewhat of a grey and conflicting area with regards to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), better known as the 'snooping' law. This involves the issue of extended data retention and often conflicts with the Data Protection Act; it is unclear whether or not this can be applied here.

Never the less, financial details should certainly not be kept on file and the best way to make sure that your ex-ISP keeps to the law is to make a formal request for such details to be removed. More @ The Register.

UPDATE - Statement from Pipex:

Once again, if concerned, the simplest solution is simply to contact Pipex and request that any such details be removed. Try to keep a record of this request too.