UK Information Commissioner Unveils 2025 Plan for Online Tracking
Online tracking is part of digital life, but businesses are increasingly recognizing that it can harm people when it isn't done responsibly, Stephen Almond, U.K. Information Commissioner's Office regulatory risk executive director, blogged Thursday. The ICO has been "taking decisive action, supporting organisations to make changes" to ensure they can navigate online tracking responsibly while safeguarding people's personal information.
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The regulatory vision is clear, Almond wrote: A fair and transparent online world where people have meaningful control over how they're tracked. The ICO issued an online tracking strategy describing how it plans to tackle the challenges of online tracking across websites, apps and connected devices: "This is not just about compliance; it's about fostering innovation, trust and a level playing field for all."
Enterprises tell the ICO that it's challenging to comply with data protection laws while staying competitive in the digital advertising market, Almond wrote. The strategy aims to remove barriers, clarify ambiguous areas and make it easier for companies to do the right thing, he added.
One key goal is to bring the top 1,000 U.K. websites into compliance via advice, guidance and enforcement where needed. The ICO wants publishers to deploy more privacy-preserving advertising such as contextual models, and will explore where the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations' consent requirements are preventing that shift. The office also intends to engage with consent management platforms, which are key to how many organizations manage online consent and tracking permissions.
The ICO also published guidance on "consent or pay" models where people have a choice either to consent to personalized ads or pay to avoid them, Almond said. The guidance clarifies how companies can use the model to give users meaningful control of their data while supporting the organization's economic viability.