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“Do as I say, not as I do”

It is difficult to miss the irony of the ICO’s first-awarded fine for nuisance calls since taking over the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), as reported in our earlier blog in December.

IT Protect Ltd., a Bognor Regis firm in the business of selling a call-blocking device that purportedly stops unwanted marketing calls, was fined £40,000 on 11 January by the ICO for making nuisance calls. After more than 30 complaints were received, the ICO investigated and found that IT Protect Ltd. had been making unsolicited marketing calls for more than a year to people registered with the TPS.
Continue Reading “Do as I say, not as I do”: A business specialising in blocking unsolicited marketing calls is fined for making unsolicited marketing calls

Effective 30 December 2016, the Information Commissioner’s Office (‘ICO’) will be responsible for recording and maintaining the Telephone Preference Service (‘TPS’) register.

The TPS is a free service offered to the public, which records a list of those individuals who have expressly opted out of receiving direct marketing materials. Marketers and other organisations (including charities,…

In an ongoing effort to tackle nuisance calls, the UK government has signalled its intention to make company directors directly liable for breaches of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PERC) carried out by their firms. These fines will be in addition to any fines ordered against the firm itself.

Deemed a growing problem that, in particular, targets elderly and vulnerable sections of society, the Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock emphasised that the new amendment will hand the ICO more agile and robust punitive powers.

“We have joined forces with consumer groups and regulators, such as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), to stop nuisance callers. It used to be the case that the ICO had to prove a nuisance call had caused ‘substantial damage or substantial distress.’ Not anymore.”
Continue Reading Company bosses can no longer dodge nuisance call fines