25 September 2008 – The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has taken enforcement action against the Liberal Democrats after the party made 250,000 automated phone calls.
The ICO found that the Liberal Democrats breached the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations because the phone calls were made without the consent of the the recipients.
The phone calls consisted of a recorded message from the Liberal Democrat's party leader, Nick Clegg. The people who were contacted were asked to indicate which party they would support if a general election were to be held the next day, whether they were considering to vote for the Liberal Democrats, and whether they were prepared to help the Liberal Democrats win in their area.
Before the phone calls were made the ICO had contacted the Liberal Democrats about its intention to make 250,000 automated calls. The party had told the ICO that it felt the message would not breach any regulations because it would only be sent to people classified as "likely supporters" and "not sures".
After several people had complaint to the ICO about Mr Clegg's pre-recorded message, the regulator concluded that the party had indeed contravened the Regulations. In its Enforcement Notice, the ICO argues that the calls should be defined as "direct marketing" and that the Liberal Democrats should not have targeted people without their prior consent. The Liberal Democrats now have 30 days to either appeal the decision, or to cease using automated calling systems for direct marketing purposes.
In 2005, the ICO served an Enforcement Notice to the Scottish National Party following complaints from members of the public and the Liberal Democrats about unsolicited phone calls.