ICO Fines Company for Unlawful Marketing Calls
The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office announced Thursday that it fined AFK Letters Co Ltd $120,000 (£90,000) for making more than 95,000 unsolicited marketing calls to people registered with the Telephone Preference Service, a do-not-call list.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Privacy Daily provides accurate coverage of newsworthy developments in data protection legislation, regulation, litigation, and enforcement for privacy professionals responsible for ensuring effective organizational data privacy compliance.
AFK writes letters seeking compensation and refunds for its customers, the ICO noted. Between January and September 2023, AFK used data collected through its website and a third-party telephone survey company to make the marketing calls without being able to show valid, specific consent from the people contacted.
AFK's third-party data supplier used consent statements that didn't name AFK when asking people for consent to be called, the ICO said. In addition, AFK's privacy policy mentioned contact by email, not phone.
AFK breached Regulation 21 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, which requires organizations to obtain clear, informed and specific consent before making unsolicited direct marketing calls, the ICO said.
The regulator urged people to report nuisance calls and check that their TPS registration is up-to-date. Companies should review their direct marketing processes to ensure they comply with data protection law, the ICO said.