Anxious shareholders who may be concerned about their investments in the Avocet Natural Capital (ANC) 'disruptive technology' businesses have been warned they have already breached the Data Protection Act after setting up an internet forum to exchange views about the firm's activities.
Not Just Sheep and Rugby understands the forum has attracted scores of users since it was established last October with a strap line 'where has your money gone'.
But its development has not impressed Avocet chairman Martin Frost who told the company's 650 shareholders earlier this month he was taking steps to close the site down.
On July 10th he wrote: "Pending criminal & civil complaints against the administrators,
and some users of the ‘Avocet Shareholders Forum’. Note: on Friday 10th July
2020 ‘Wix.com’ the internet owner operators of the ‘Avocet Shareholder Forum’
agreed to shut down this web blog.
Then on July 13th another letter to investors warned:"In reference to www.avocetshareholders.om
ANC Plc’s Israeli colleagues & shareholders state that this website
is hosted in Israel by Wix.com who provide a website building platform, which
Wix.com claim no responsibility for www.avocetshareholders.om activities or for
any content they publish.
"That said when approached today in Israel, Wix.com
stated that Avocet Natural Capital Plc may seek a court order instructing
Wix.com to take the appropriate actions that ANC Plc believes it is necessary
for ANC Plc to protect its rights, and that Wix.com of 40 Namal Tel Aviv St. Tel
Aviv, Israel will be happy to comply with any such valid order. Arrangements are
in hand to bring a case this Thursday 16th July 2020 before the Tel Aviv court
seeking full disclosure & discovery."
But the site was still functioning this afternoon. And so far Wix in Tel Aviv have not responded to our enquiries aimed at finding out when the forum would be shut down by order of the Israeli courts.
Not Just Sheep & Rugby does not have access to the forum.But a user told us: "There is a long list of topics many of which contain severe criticism of how the business is being run. And there are complaints about Mr Frost's dictatorial style. Avocet is a one man band, the other directors including Dr Jennings never utter a word".
We were told many of the forum's users post contributions anonymously for fear of retributions from the directors. Our source added: "There is a great deal of concern about the complete lack of any marketing of the 'products' including the much vaunted Avocet fuel additive which so far has remained invisible".
However, the forum members should be on their guard with the Information Commissioners' Office (ICO) apparently investigating complaints of data breaches made by Mr Frost and company secretary Eirlys Lloyd.
In his latest shareholders' letter circulated today, Mr Frost deals exclusively with the activities of the forum.
He states: "I am legally obliged to advise you that the
purported Avocet Forum / Avocet Shareholders Association have wilfully made
further data protection breaches. So, in addition to the formal complaints made
and being made by ANC Plc to the ICO, I am advised that a hundred or, so ANC
Plc shareholders are making or have made individual ICO complaints.
"ANC Plc
shareholder complaints centre on the Forum’s information thefts and disclosure
failures, and the fact that the forum not only fails to adhere to the law but
in addition ignores the spirit of the legislation."
And Mr Frost's letter bearing the title 'A warning note' continues: "Again factually, because the Avocet Forum is run and
governed in such an unlawful way, I need to advise that each user or indeed
visitor may incur a personal liability as to the wrongs voiced by others on the
Forum.
FOOTNOTE: *With grateful thanks to Hero (Michael Crawford) and the rest of the cast.
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