Politicians warned over data abuse

Politicians warned over data abuseThe main UK political parties have been warned about the need to follow data protection and electronic marketing rules ahead of the European and local elections on May 22, following concerns about dodgy practices.
The Information Commissioner Christopher Graham’s letter is in reposne to claims that the parties are using market research surveys to gain political support.
Genuine market research can be carried out in order to help inform a party’s positioning and formulate policies. However, communications claiming to be research that are also intended to canvass support now or in the future are covered by the Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations. The regulations apply to all electronic marketing, including texts, calls and emails.
Christopher Graham said: “This is about the political parties demonstrating best practice, and being open and upfront with voters about their marketing activities, explaining to people in a transparent way how their personal details will be used.
“The rules apply to political parties, just as they do to businesses and charities. In communicating with voters, the parties need to be clear about what their intentions are and why they are asking people for their information. We don’t need election campaigns featuring nuisance calls, spam texts and canvassing under the guise of ‘research’.”