There was a recent case against a city council which allowed confidential data to be available to unauthorised people due to insufficient security of staff working from home, this against the Data Protection Act (DPA). Once it was aware of the security breach the council quickly secured it. It would appear that there was no … READ MORE »
Whilst all companies deal with the personal details of customers, the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) is of especial interest to those involved in email marketing. The requirements of the new rules, although unlikely to be law before 2018, are such that planning needs to start soon. Implementation of the plans should start only … READ MORE »
Is it anything to do with email marketing? The proposed European Data Protection Regulations (DPR), replaces the Data Protection Directive, and the change from Directive to Regulations is significant. It means that it does not require ratification by each individual member country. Once passed it become law. For a common market, having various regulations in … READ MORE »
There is always something to learn from other people's success. You can discover why they did well, perhaps find a critical point where you might have formed a different plan. You now know what works. It is the same with the mistakes of others, even where their errors of judgement were clear. Pharmacy2U Ltd (PtU), … READ MORE »
This article is a brief introduction to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (the Act) which some of those engaged in email marketing suggest is the most important consumer legislation for some years. We will be returning to the Act in detail from time to time. Most of the provisions of the Act will come into … READ MORE »
Email marketing’s dependence on digital information has produced situations where a word in common usage is just not precise enough. Take destroy for instance. One dictionary definition is ‘to ruin completely’. It is not quite that straightforward once we start storing data on computers. The data needs to be legally secure. The Data Protection Act tells … READ MORE »
Always make sure that your clients are protected! The Data Protection Act (the Act) has 8 Principles, the fifth of which has the requirement that ‘personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes’. You must delete such data. Delete is … READ MORE »
Sometimes there is a certain sympathy when a company is fined for an action which others had been considering. Managing risk is an essential skill in email marketing and when a company, even a competitor, falls just the wrong side of the line the first thought that goes through most people’s mind is relief that … READ MORE »
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has just issued timely advice in the form of Guidelines (see below for link) with regards to the duties and responsibilities of data controllers (controllers) and data processors (processors) which is especially pertinent for those engaged in email marketing. The Guide contains a considerable amount of information on the differences … READ MORE »
There is a certain degree of confusion as to the comparative responsibilities of data controllers (controllers) and data processors (processors). If you have data, you must have a controller. To put it simply, it is their responsibility if it all goes wrong. They have a distinct legal responsibility. Processors work under controllers. If they make … READ MORE »