Foreign Office minister, Harriet Baldwin, and Ben Howlett, a former MP for Bath, have asked Brandon Lewis, the Tory party chairman, to launch an inquiry following receiving unsolicited requests for support from BackBoris.com.
Baldwin is asking the ICO whether it was legal for the Back Boris campaign to be using “an old email list from a previous campaign” to “spam” her email address.
Howlett told the Guardian:
“No politician is above the law when it comes to usage of private personal data. Brandon Lewis should conduct an urgent investigation into Team Boris’s data compliance prior to ballot papers being sent out. I fear there is a clear breach of GDPR law and it is for the official Information Commissioner’s Office to determine.”
Howlett also tweeted that he had received a random call from Johnson’s team and added that he had never “opted in or consented” to his data being used.
Ministerial aide David Morris told BuzzFeed news:
“It’s deeply troubling that foul play may be afoot in this contest. I urge ICO to look into all alleged breaches so that we can be sure the contest is being conducted within the rules.”
The ICO guidelines states: “If candidates in internal party elections wish to use member lists to send emails or texts, or make automated calls the candidate must ensure that they have consent from the individuals to use such marketing channels.”
The Johnson campaign has dismissed the claims stating that it is an attempt by Jeremy Hunt to deflect negative stories about Hunt. Additionally they have insisted that they have been compliant with GDPR and the Data Protection Act.
A spokesperson from the ICO said: “We are aware of these concerns and will be assessing the information provided.”
Article originally published on PrivSec:Report
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