London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The Conservative party has been notified to improve its data handling by the information watchdog after it unleashed a “tax calculator” that also seemed to be collecting voter data.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) penned to the party telling it to take measures to ensure it concedes with data protection legislation after a protest by the Good Law Project (GLP) about privacy safeguards. Rishi Sunak had earlier told the House of Commons that all laws were followed when questioned about the online tool, which was founded in January, saying the party desired to help people “find out how much you’ll save thanks to our NI cuts”.
What issues were raised about the tax calculator tool?
The GLP expressed it looked “more like a way for them to grab your data ahead of the election” and argued that it left cookies without permission, had inadequate privacy information, and did not follow the advice that the ICO had set out for the use of personal data in political campaigning.
How has the ICO responded to the Conservative Party?
The ICO handed the complaint to its investigations team and reported to the Tories asking the party to enhance its practices and to take steps to ensure compliance with data laws. After the ICO reached the Tories, Dawn Butler, the Labour MP and former minister, expressed she had authored to Sunak asking him to correct the record.
What steps must the Conservatives take to comply?
In a note to the GLP in September, the ICO stated: “As part of our connection with the organisation, we outlined actions they need to take to improve their techniques to ensure that their actions comply with the data protection legislation.
“Our post has also included informing the Conservative and Unionist parties that they are required to ensure that data protection is evaluated during the design of new products, including new and updated webpages. Additionally, any modifications to cookie consent mechanisms and privacy notices are made before/in conjunction with modifications to processing activities.”
In 2021, the ICO gave a £10,000 fine to the Conservative party for transmitting unsolicited marketing emails to 51 people who had unsubscribed from its mailing checklist. They were mailed in 2019, shortly after Boris Johnson became PM.
