The Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK is targeting more than 400 companies believed to be using people’s personal details to promote online gambling websites, the ICO said in a statement.
The regulator – which promotes openness by public bodies and advocates data privacy - for individuals is writing to companies demanding they confirm how they use people’s personal details and send marketing texts, including where the information came from and how many texts have been sent.
The campaign is part of an investigation by the ICO into large numbers of spam texts linked to the gambling sector.
David Clancy, ICO anti-spam investigations manager, said: “Companies must comply with the law when using people’s personal information. Not knowing the law or trying to pass the buck to another company in the chain is no excuse.
“The public expect firms to be accountable for how they obtain and use personal data when marketing by phone, email or text. Fail to be accountable and you could be breaking the law, risking ICO enforcement action and the future of your business.”
The ICO is writing to companies is has identified as being involved in affiliate marketing. If businesses do not respond to the request for information, the ICO can use its powers to demand it be provided. Failure to comply with the law can result in enforcement action from the ICO, including a fine of up to £500,000.
