Compliance isn’t exciting. Until it becomes urgent. For email marketing companies handling large volumes of personal data, compliance isn’t just a legal requirement — it’s part of your credibility. And while most focus on GDPR, there’s another area that’s often misunderstood or ignored: Freedom of Information (FOI). The Problem: Misunderstanding Your Obligations FOI doesn’t apply … READ MORE »
Email marketing is built on data. But not just any data — compliant, permission-based, and responsibly managed data. Without a database of subscribers, we'd be reduced to distributing leaflets to people on the street, and ROI would be tragique. Get that wrong, and the consequences go beyond poor campaign performance. A recent case from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) made that clear. … READ MORE »
As financial pressures weigh heavily on SMEs, especially those relying on email marketing, some important reminders may have slipped under the radar. One of them? Data Protection Day – marked every year on 28 January. The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) certainly didn’t miss it. This year, the ICO used the opportunity to urge the UK’s 5.5 … READ MORE »
You'd think a department holding data on 28 million children would treat it like gold dust. Instead, the Department of Education (DfE) handed access to a company that then used it for online gambling. Yes, really. According to the ICO, between 2018 and 2020, one company with no legitimate reason to access the Learning Records Service (LRS) database … READ MORE »
It is quite refreshing to be able to be definitive with regards a question on email marketing; not something which I am all that familiar with, but I’ll give it a go. You require a European representative if you are a UK-based controller or processor with no offices, branches or other establishments in the EEA, … READ MORE »
With the end of Covid restrictions in sight, if you have good eyesight, you are probably feeling a little euphoric. Maybe your short-term problems are over. A return to normal-ish email marketing campaign planning is surely just around the corner. It’s not a return to the ‘old days’. There are a number of factors with … READ MORE »
The ICO has been very strict with regards to profiteering from Covid-19 response and lockdowns. Tell a lie in a marketing email and you are in the crosshairs. That should not stop you from experimenting with ways of gaining an advantage because of lockdown and people’s wish for more dependable information. Google is a ready … READ MORE »
This is not going to be an overview of the entire effects of the Regulations, but mainly how the provisions have affected email marketing. Many suggested, during the prolonged gestation of the GDPR, that the compromises forced on the regulators would ensure that it would be toothless and unfocused. Has this turned out to be … READ MORE »
It might be fair to say that many email marketing companies view the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) with a degree of trepidation. They take pleasure in listing the latest penalties they have imposed on their website. It’s enough to make anyone nervous. However, they normally also list the criteria they will use to judge you, … READ MORE »
The Information Commissioner’s Office has, presumably under instruction, accepted that those companies with personal data are experiencing significant difficulties during the lockdown; and none more so than us in email marketing. It promises to approach the law with all the flexibility allowed, and that it will concentrate on the greatest threats. It’s not a carte … READ MORE »