WIREDGOV

 The Information Commissioner’s Office has served digital marketing company Reactiv Media Limited with a £50,000 fine after an investigation discovered they had made unsolicited marketing calls to people who had registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). 

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, which govern telephone marketing, prohibit making unsolicited telephone calls to people who have put their number on the TPS register. Between November 2012 and December 2013 the TPS received 481 complaints from individuals who had received unsolicited calls from Reactiv Media Limited despite registering with the TPS. The ICO also received 120 complaints.

ICO Director of Operations, Simon Entwisle said:

“The system is simple. People on the TPS register shouldn’t receive nuisance calls – full stop. Reactiv Media Limited ignored this rule and they must now pay a £50,000 penalty.

“Nuisance calls and texts are a scourge for thousands of individuals and households across the UK. We will continue to target the companies responsible. To help us do this we are currently speaking with the government to get the legal bar lowered allowing us to enforce against more companies and send a stronger message.”

Anyone can register with the Telephone Preference Service by going to their website or calling 0845 070 0707. You can register both your landline and your mobile phone. Anyone receiving unsolicited telephone call who has registered should report it to the ICO using our online survey. Over 200,000 responses have been sent in since the survey was setup early last year and the information provided is being used to help identify those companies responsible.

The ICO has also published detailed guidance for direct marketers explaining their legal requirements under the Data Protection Act and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. The guidance covers the circumstances in which organisations are able to carry out marketing over the phone, by text, by email, by post or by fax.

View the Reactiv Media Limited monetary penalty notice (pdf)

ENDS

If you need more information, please contact the ICO press office on 
0303 123 9070 or visit the website at: ico.org.uk.

Notes to Editors

1. The Information Commissioner’s Office upholds information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.
 
2. The ICO has specific responsibilities set out in the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.
 
3. The ICO is on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Read more in the ICO blogand e-newsletter.Our Press Office page provides more information for journalists.
 
4. Anyone who processes personal information must comply with eight principles of the Data Protection Act, which make sure that personal information is:

Fairly and lawfully processed
Processed for limited purposes 
Adequate, relevant and not excessive 
Accurate and up to date 
Not kept for longer than is necessary 
Processed in line with your rights 
Secure 
Not transferred to other countries without adequate protection