Political parties and campaigners must respect data protection law when campaigning for the upcoming UK referendum and local and national elections, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said today.

The ICO’s warning comes ahead of a busy campaigning period for political parties. The UK-wide referendum on the UK voting system will take place on 5 May to coincide with local elections in England and Northern Ireland.

Elections to the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly will also take place the same day. The ICO is encouraging all campaigners to read its latest guidance for
political parties and candidates. The guidance explains the legal requirements campaigners must follow when using direct mail, emails, text messages, phone canvassing and automated phone calls. The
guidance also clarifies where campaigners need consent, as well as outlining other legal requirements that campaigners must fulfil in order to stay within the law.

The ICO has previously taken regulatory action against the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party (SNP) for breaching the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations after marketing individuals without their consent.

Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, said:

“Modern election campaigns make use of modern communications channels. The stakes are high as political parties and campaign workers seek to influence the 47 million UK citizens eligible to vote on 5 May. But this does not mean that campaigners can forget their legal responsibilities to respect people’s privacy rights.

“The ICO has produced guidance for campaigners explaining how they can ensure that they are complying with the Data Protection Act as well as the accompanying Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. We will be monitoring the activities of campaigners to ensure they are meeting their legal requirements and that everybody plays by the rules.”