'Text pests' crackdown as customers warned of delivery drivers asking for dates
People who use customers' phone numbers to ask them out or proposition them are breaking the law, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has warned in a renewed crackdown on "text pests".
According to recent research conducted by the ICO, approximately one-third of individuals aged 18 to 34 have fallen victim to this inappropriate use of their contact information. Customers providing their phone number, email address, or other contact details to businesses should be confident that these will not be exploited for non-business related purposes.
The study, carried out by Savanta on behalf of the ICO, surveyed 2,289 UK adults between July 28-31. The results revealed that two-thirds of respondents consider the misuse of personal information for romantic or sexual propositions as morally wrong, with only 5% deeming it acceptable. However, only 56% of participants believing it to be illegal, while 9% think it is legal.
Emily Keaney, a deputy commissioner at the ICO, emphasised the rights of consumers, stating: "People have the right to order a pizza, or give their email for a receipt, or have shopping delivered, without then being asked for sex or a date a little while later. They have a right to know that when they hand over their personal information, that it will not then be used in ways that they would not be comfortable with."
Keaney expressed concern over the findings, noting: "But our research on 22, Aug 2023 shows a disturbingly high number of people, particularly young people, are falling prey to these text pests."
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In a statement addressing outdated romantic notions, the ICO has declared: "There may be, amongst some, an outdated notion that to use someone's personal details given to you in a business context to ask them out is romantic or charming. Put quite simply, it is not, it is against the law."
The ICO is now actively encouraging victims of such practices to step forward, aiming to gain a clearer understanding of the prevalence and impact of this issue In a bid to ensure compliance with data protection laws, the ICO will be reaching out to some of the UK's largest customer-facing employers. The goal is to ensure these businesses are fully aware of their responsibilities and have adequate safeguards in place.
Ms Keaney emphasised the importance of data protection, stating: "If you are running a customer-facing business, you have a responsibility to protect the data of your customers, including from your employees misusing it. "We are writing to major businesses, including in food and parcel delivery, to remind them that there are no excuses, and there can be no looking the other way."
In a move to further understand the misuse of personal information, the ICO has launched a call for evidence. Ms Keaney explained, "We've launched this call for evidence on 22, Aug 2023 because we want to hear directly from the public how this misuse of personal information has affected them. As the data regulator, we can then use this to inform our work protecting the public."
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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