A tuition agency and its director have become the first offenders to be penalised under the "Do Not Call" rules which kicked in on Jan 2.
Star Zest Home Tuition and its sole director Law Han Wei, 35, sent messages advertising the services of its tutors to Singapore phone numbers on its database - even though the numbers were listed on the Do Not Call Registry.
Some of the numbers belonged to former students and members of the public who previously contacted Star Zest.
The rules ban firms from marketing to any number listed on the registry without first getting consent. More than 600,000 numbers are on the registry.
Yesterday, Law and the agency were each fined $39,000 - or $3,000 per charge - after pleading guilty to 13 of 37 offences committed between Jan 3 and 14, with the rest taken into consideration.
The court heard that Star Zest operated through its website and employed 12 people then, seven of whom were based in the Philippines.
Law would draft the telemarketing messages and compile a list of telephone numbers comprising former students of the agency, those who had called with queries and others on databases that had been bought from unidentified persons. He would authorise a staff member to send out the messages.
Between Jan 2 and April 2, the Personal Data Protection Commission received 364 valid complaints about the agency from people on the registry.
Pleading for leniency, Law said yesterday that he apologises to the commission and those who have complained. He said the messages were not sent as acts of mischief but, rather, to add value for students, and that Star Zest has since complied with the rules.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Yan Jiakang said the actions showed "blatant disregard" for users' expectations and undermined the registry's effectiveness.
She added: "This is a serious violation which infringes on the private space of individuals."
Anyone convicted under the Personal Data Protection Act could be fined up to $10,000 per charge.
This article was first published on August 28, 2014.
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