ICO Gives Advice on Wearable Privacy (in case it wasn't obvious)

An interesting follow on to this week's Ads on Wearables Debate (a must read), the ICO has commented on how they may impact on privacy in their blog here. Andrew Paterson, the ICO's Chief Technology Officer reminds us that once wearables are used for anything beyond personal use, then privacy regulations will become relevant. For businesses, data collected from devices such as fitness bands will fall within the Data Protection Act. Marketing communications will come within the PECR and the same permissions will be required as any other digital channel. Similarly, tracking or 'cookies' will require the same kinds of policies as other devies. In summary, the blog reminds us that: 'organisations must not lose sight of the fact that wearables must still operate in compliance with the law and consumers’ personal information must be looked after'.