{"id":1414,"date":"2022-07-08T14:59:20","date_gmt":"2022-07-08T14:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.thesmsworks.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1414"},"modified":"2022-09-09T15:35:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T15:35:59","slug":"ico-hands-out-record-fines-ahead-gdpr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmsworks.co.uk\/blog\/ico-hands-out-record-fines-ahead-gdpr\/","title":{"rendered":"ICO Hands Out Record Fines ahead of GDPR"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Spammers Targeted as Regulator Hands Out Record Fines<\/h1>\n\n

Henry Cazalet\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>– Director, The SMS Works<\/p>\n\n

Since August 2015, The Information Commissioner\u2019s Office\u00a0(ICO)has fined\u00a0104\u00a0<\/strong>organisations a total of\u00a0\u00a38.7\u00a0<\/strong>million for breaches in data security and anti-spam regulations.<\/p>\n\n

If you didn’t know (why should you), the ICO is the UK authority that oversees how consumer data is handled. They have the power to hand out hefty fines to companies that break the rules.<\/p>\n\n

Companies that use SMS marketing software or an\u00a0SMS API<\/a>\u00a0to bombard people with unwelcome text spam\u00a0are particularly under the spotlight.<\/p>\n\n

Noose tightens on law breakers<\/h2>\n\n

They’re really signalling their zero tolerance approach to spammers and data breachers ahead of the GDPR coming into force on 25th May 2018.<\/p>\n\n

Have a look at our\u00a0detailed report and inforgraphic<\/a>\u00a0that provides plenty of analysis and comment on the rising fines.<\/p>\n\n

Every month the ICO releases detailed information on which companies have been issued with fines for breaking the regulations.<\/p>\n\n

The figures for January reveal that they are ramping up the pressure still further on companies that break the rules by issuing record fines for the month.<\/p>\n\n

9 separate companies<\/strong>\u00a0were given monetary penalties in January, the highest for any one month. Fines were issued for all the main types of offences that the authority oversees; email spam, SMS spam, nuisance call and data protection breaches.<\/p>\n\n

Mixed\u00a0messages from the ICO?<\/h2>\n\n

The ICO say they won\u2019t hand out huge fines on day one after GDPR kicks in, but January has been a record breaking month for fines.<\/p>\n\n

As well as the highest number of fines given in any month, the total in monetary penalties reached a new high of\u00a0\u00a31.7 million.<\/strong>\u00a0For context a total of\u00a0\u00a34.9 million<\/strong>\u00a0was raised in the whole of 2017.<\/p>\n\n

This new record represents an increase of\u00a0312%<\/strong>\u00a0above the average monthly figure for 2017.<\/p>\n\n

Nuisance call companies slammed<\/h2>\n\n

Companies that persist in blighting people\u2019s lives with automated calls at home will have little room for manoeuvre as the ICO focusses its efforts on irradiating the practice.<\/p>\n\n

Companies responsible for spam phone calls were handed fines totalling\u00a0\u00a3900,000<\/strong>,\u00a054%<\/strong>\u00a0of all fines for January.<\/p>\n\n

One notable case was Holmes Financial Solutions Ltd who were fined \u00a3300,000 after they instigated a ridiculous\u00a08.7 million<\/strong>\u00a0automated phone calls to individuals without their prior consent.<\/p>\n\n

Commenting on case, ICO Head of Enforcement, Steve Eckersley, said:<\/p>\n\n

\"Steve<\/figure>\n\n
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The company paid no heed to laws on telephone marketing and showed no concern for the distress they were causing people, by making huge volumes of invasive calls.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ICO will not tolerate companies who blatantly disregard the law and Holmes Financial Solutions Ltd has paid the price for their negligence<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Financial services incur largest number of fines<\/h2>\n\n

Financial services firms topped the hall of shame with\u00a044% of fines<\/strong>\u00a0in January being targeted at the sector.<\/p>\n\n

The ICO has the power to fine companies up to\u00a0\u00a3500,000<\/strong>\u00a0for breaking the rules. When GDPR comes into effect on May 25th, the ICO\u2019s powers will increase still further, with the maximum possible fine rising to\u00a020 million Euros<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a04%<\/strong>\u00a0of global turnover, whichever is the greater.<\/p>\n\n

The fines data should act as a wake-up call to all companies and organizations that process and handle consumer data.<\/p>\n\n

The clock is ticking and companies that haven’t done so already, need to urgently address data security before the deadline.<\/p>\n\n

Research and analysis conducted by\u00a0The SMS Works<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spammers Targeted as Regulator Hands Out Record Fines Henry Cazalet\u00a0– Director, The SMS Works Since August 2015, The Information Commissioner\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t