UK's ICO Launches Voter Targeting Investigation

In the UK, the Information Commissioner (ICO) has launched an investigation into how UK political parties target voters through social media. According to the ICO, if parties target individuals with political messages, they may be breaking the law.

In the run-up to next month's general election, the Conservative and Labour parties are thought to have budgeted about £1m each to spend on Facebook advertising, to target specific messages to groups of voters who are identified by data collected from their activity on the social media platform. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham (pictured) says the investigation into the use of data analytics for political purposes will expand on the watchdog's current remit to explore practices used during the European Union referendum.

Commenting on the probe, Denham said: 'Given the big data revolution, it is understandable that political campaigns are exploring the potential of advanced data analysis tools to help win votes. The public have the right to expect that this takes place in accordance with the law as it relates to data protection and electronic marketing'.

Denham suggests there would be a potential breach of the law if political campaigns or third-party companies are found to have 'gathered up digital trails' to then target people.

Web site: www.ico.org.uk .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.