Direct marketing and privacy and electronic communications

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class="border-dotted border-b-2 border-neutral-200 pb-2 sm:pb-3.5 md:pb-6 mb-2 sm:mb-3.5 md:mb-5"> <div class="md:flex md:items-center"> <h1 class="py-0.5 font-serif leading-none sm:border-l-10 sm:pl-3 text-serif-2xl sm:text-serif-3xl border-theme-yellow">Direct marketing and privacy and electronic communications</h1> <div class="md:pl-2 md:ml-auto mt-2 md:mt-2 print:hidden"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="umb-block-grid" data-grid-columns="12;" style="--umb-block-grid--grid-columns: 12;"> <div class="umb-block-grid__layout-container"> <div class="umb-block-grid__layout-item" data-content-element-type-alias="rightAsideLayout" data-content-element-type-key="7ca5bc32-4d2c-4fe0-90a2-b8a3541e892f" data-element-udi="umb://element/fd97fce4abe44d5f97901f487f3f2448" data-col-span="12" data-row-span="1" style=" --umb-block-grid--item-column-span: 12; --umb-block-grid--item-row-span: 1; "> <div class="umb-block-grid__area-container" style="--umb-block-grid--area-grid-columns: 12;"> <div class="umb-block-grid__area" data-area-col-span="9" data-area-row-span="1" data-area-alias="left" style="--umb-block-grid--grid-columns: 9;--umb-block-grid--area-column-span: 9; --umb-block-grid--area-row-span: 1;"> <div class="umb-block-grid__layout-container"> <div class="umb-block-grid__layout-item" data-content-element-type-alias="richTextBlock" data-content-element-type-key="d7ec1d8a-2a00-439e-95b4-9f3537f5ece4" data-element-udi="umb://element/99a04941fa9c450b87c85b31dd14c45d" data-col-span="9" data-row-span="1" style=" --umb-block-grid--item-column-span: 9; --umb-block-grid--item-row-span: 1; "> <div class="prose prose-sm md:prose-base prose-h2:font-serif sm:prose-h2:border-l-10 sm:prose-h2:pl-3 sm:prose-h2:-ml-3 sm:prose-h2:relative sm:prose-h2:left-[-10px] prose-h3:font-serif sm:prose-lead:border-l-10 sm:prose-lead:pl-3 sm:prose-lead:-ml-3 sm:prose-lead:relative sm:prose-lead:left-[-10px] prose-hr:my-4 prose-h2:border-theme-yellow-light prose-lead:border-theme-yellow-light prose-theme-yellow sm:ml-[10px] sm:pl-3"> <p>On this page you’ll find all the guidance and information you need to support your direct marketing activities, use cookies or similar technologies, and provide electronic communication services to the public</p> <h2>Brief guidance </h2> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/advice-for-small-organisations/an-introduction-to-direct-marketing-a-step-by-step-guide-for-your-small-business/" title="An introduction to direct marketing – a step-by-step guide for your small business">An introduction to direct marketing</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span>A step-by-step guide for organisations looking to carry out direct marketing. This guide is aimed at small businesses, but is suitable for any organisation wanting a brief overview of the rules surrounding direct marketing.</span></p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guide-to-pecr/" title="Guide to PECR"><span>Privacy and electronic communications regulations (PECR): a guide</span></a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span>How to lawfully send electronic marketing messages by phone, email or text, use cookies or similar technologies, or provide electronic communications to the public.</span></p> <h3><a rel="noopener" href="/media2/migrated/4019611/sending-direct-marketing-messages-at-a-glance-guide-v1_0.pdf" target="_blank" title="sending-direct-marketing-messages-at-a-glance-guide-v1_0"><span>Sending direct marketing messages: at-a-glance guide</span></a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">A simple guide to the rules on sending direct marketing by phone call, electronic mail (email and text), fax and post.</p> <h2>Main guidance</h2> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/direct-marketing-guidance/" title="Direct marketing guidance"><span>Direct marketing: a guide</span></a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span>This guidance sets out what you need to consider and the actions you need to take when you want to carry out direct marketing activities.</span><span></span></p> <h2><span>Detailed guidance </span></h2> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guidance-on-direct-marketing-using-live-calls/" title="Guidance on direct marketing using live calls"><span>Live marketing calls</span></a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span>How PECR applies to making live direct marketing calls.</span></p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guidance-on-direct-marketing-using-electronic-mail/" title="Guidance on direct marketing using electronic mail"><span>Electronic mail marketing</span></a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span>How PECR applies to electronic mail marketing (including emails and text messages).<br></span></p> <h3><span></span><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guidance-on-the-use-of-cookies-and-similar-technologies/" title="Guidance on the use of cookies and similar technologies">Cookies and similar technologies</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Definitions of cookies and similar technologies, the rules that apply when using them when operating an online service such as a website or mobile app, and how the UK GDPR applies to cookies.</p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/business-to-business-marketing/" title="Business-to-business marketing"><span>Business-to-business marketing </span></a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span>How to lawfully send marketing to other businesses.</span></p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/organisations-using-marketing-services-of-data-brokers/" title="Organisations using marketing services of data brokers">Using data broking services for direct marketing purposes</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Guidance for organisations using marketing services of data brokers. </p> <h2><span>In your sector<br></span></h2> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/direct-marketing-and-the-public-sector/" title="Direct marketing and the public sector">Public sector and direct marketing</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Guidance for public authorities on when public sector promotions count as direct marketing.</p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/direct-marketing-and-regulatory-communications/" title="Direct marketing and regulatory communications">Regulatory communications and direct marketing</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Guidance for the regulated private sector (eg finance, utilities, communications) to help decide when a regulatory communication message might count as direct marketing.</p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guidance-for-the-use-of-personal-data-in-political-campaigning-1/" title="Guidance for the use of personal data in political campaigning (1)">Political campaigning and personal data</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">How to apply the principles of data protection during political campaigning, how to profile people fairly, how to carry out direct marketing and research lawfully and how to protect information when campaigning online.</p> <h2>Resources </h2> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/advice-for-small-organisations/checklists/direct-marketing-advice-generator/" title="Direct marketing advice generator"><span>Direct marketing advice generator</span></a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Use this tool to get tailored direct marketing advice and feel more confident you’re using people’s information in the right way. It will help you with a variety of direct marketing activities – from email to SMS to targeted social media and more.</p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/direct-marketing-checklist/" title="Direct marketing checklist">Direct marketing checklist</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Step-by-step guidance through the process of using information for direct marketing purposes.</p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/sending-direct-marketing-choosing-your-lawful-basis/" title="Sending direct marketing: Choosing your lawful basis"><span>Choosing your lawful basis for sending direct marketing</span></a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span>Find out which lawful basis might be right one to use when sending marketing by phone, post, email or text, and what the PECR requirement is.</span></p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/advice-for-small-organisations/checklists/data-protection-self-assessment/direct-marketing-checklist/" title="Direct marketing checklist">Direct marketing self-assessment checklist</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><span>Assess your business in the area of direct marketing in line with PECR and data protection legislation.<br></span></p> <h3><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/training-videos/" title="Training videos" data-anchor="#"><span>Training videos: PECR</span></a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Recordings of ICO staff training on the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR), available for you to reuse.</p> <h3><a rel="noopener" href="/media2/migrated/4023507/direct-marketing-impact-assessment-20230104.pdf" target="_blank" title="Direct Marketing Impact Assessment 20230104">Direct marketing guidance impact assessment</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Read the impact assessment report for our direct marketing guidance.</p> <h3><a href="/about-the-ico/responses-to-the-2020-consultation-on-a-draft-direct-marketing-code-of-practice/" title="Responses to the 2020 consultation on a draft direct marketing code of practice">Responses to the 2020 consultation on a draft direct marketing code of practice</a></h3> <p style="padding-left: 40px;">Read the summary of responses from our public consultation.</p> <hr> </div> </div> <div class="umb-block-grid__layout-item" data-content-element-type-alias="formBlock" data-content-element-type-key="a9fbbe9b-6804-4ea6-a6d0-eed6667965d5" data-element-udi="umb://element/919a487e66a344e9a7ea2de241a0fcd5" data-col-span="9" data-row-span="1" style=" --umb-block-grid--item-column-span: 9; --umb-block-grid--item-row-span: 1; "> <div id="umbraco_form_78900a0027eb4f02838d2137fa13ce85" class="umbraco-forms-form forddirectmarketing umbraco-forms-"> <form 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