Tag: Information Commissioners Office

Creating an Impression

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has recently issued advice following complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about the holiday industry, specifically on the subject of misleading advertisements. The matters were similar in that they concerned the ways a hotel and a prize draw were described. The decision has implications for every business, especially … READ MORE »

Just what we wanted

Just what we wanted Email marketing is beset with rules and regulations, some of which are precise and easy to understand. We all know when an unsubscribe button must be included and if anyone fails to conform to this requirement they have only themselves to blame. In general most legislation is written in clear English, … READ MORE »

Reasons to be reasonable

We have mentioned before that if you are running a competition with prizes in your email marketing campaign then you should take extreme care. Quite apart from falling foul of the complex betting, gaming and lotteries legislation, which is all too easy to do, there is the added problem of being fair. The word fair … READ MORE »

Understanding data protection laws

One of the most significant restrictions on bulk email marketing is legislation. One of the most significant problems is that the words that are used are open to interpretation. The Data Protection Act (DPA) tells us that we must not keep personal data any longer than is necessary for the purposes for which it was … READ MORE »

Never too late for good news

Precise information gives email marketing an edge, one that other forms of marketing can only dream of. The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations’ (PECR) limitation on the use of tracking cookies, the enforcement of which started on 26 May this year, was a threat which promised to hit our return on investment. When people say … READ MORE »

The future of cookies

You might not have heard of the Government Digital Service (GDS), a new quango within the Cabinet Office that will probably have a significant effect on email marketing and online sales. Its first public act has been to publish a long awaited update to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) guide to the new cookie law … READ MORE »

Cookie Legislation

Email marketing software depends to a certain extent on cookies, devices such as clear gifs which are included in marketing emails or dropped on web users' laptops, tablets, mobiles etc to access or store information on those devices. The information returned is a major factor in ensuring that marketing emails are tailored for individual subscribers. … READ MORE »

The Data Protection Act – an introduction

DPA: three initials to strike fear into the heart on anyone with a business which includes processing personal information, including email marketing. But in practice it is little more than a set of rules which would be sensible to comply with anyway. It strikes what many feel is a reasonable balance between the interests of … READ MORE »

Database Management

There are overwhelming practical reasons for organising a system of effective management of your email lists. The eight principles of good practice as published by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) deal essentially with the methods of gathering, maintaining and the security of email lists. The ones which we will deal with here require them to … READ MORE »

Data controller and the email marketer

Data Controllers are defined by their responsibility, not by their job title. If a person makes certain decisions with regards to data then they are de facto Data Controllers regardless of job title. It should be understood that the Data Controller is the person responsible for how the personal data is processed. If this authority … READ MORE »

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