Read the DMA's response to the ICO's Profiling Feedback request

In April the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) began consulting on profiling under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The ICO is in charge of the brief for profiling within the Article 29 Working Party. The group brings together all of the EU’s equivalents of the ICO and is responsible for producing GDPR guidance. Therefore, the ICO was seeking to gather views from UK industry before discussions begin in Europe.

The feedback form that the ICO published sought views on a range of different issues but the DMA focussed its response on how consumers benefit from profiling and how its use is integral to one-to-one marketing.

Profiling allows organisations to build a comprehensive picture of their customers and target them with personalised and relevant marketing. Consumers benefit because they receive offers for products or services that they are interested in.

For example, Amazon profiles its customers and makes suggestions for products and services that people might enjoy. This could be for a new book or film that someone may never have discovered otherwise.

The DMA has been clear that an over-strict interpretation of the GDPR will have a negative impact on consumers, have economic consequences for the marketing industry and impact the UK economy more broadly.

Read our robust and detailed response here