The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has warned political parties of the need to comply with privacy laws when approaching voters. Previous elections have seen hundreds of thousands of people being unlawfully targeted by parties. Communication techniques like direct mail, emails, text messages, phone calling and automated phone calls are all covered by the data protection legislation. The guidance issued today by the ICO to help parties avoid breaching the rules also applies to direct market campaigning, such as encouraging individuals to vote for a particular party or candidate, appeals for funds and support for a campaign. The information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, stated “For good reason, there are strict rules concerning the way in which political parties and candidates can contact unsuspecting members of the public with campaign and promotional materials. They are the same rules that apply to anyone else marketing a product. This guidance will help political parties respect people’s privacy rights. I strongly urge the parties to adhere to the ICO guidance especially as their collective track record to date has been disappointing. We have taken enforcement action to uphold the law in the past and, with stronger powers available to me in just a matter of weeks, I intend to make sure that everybody stays in line.”