The Information Commissioner's Office has taken enforcement action against the Liberal Democrats after the party made 250,000 automated phone calls.

The phone calls consisted of a recorded message from the Liberal Democrat's party leader, Nick Clegg. People 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. The Information Commissioner's Office found the Liberal Democrats had breached the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations because the phone calls were made without the consent of the the recipients.

'Not sures'

Before the phone calls were made the Information Commissioner's Office had contacted the Liberal Democrats about its intention to make 250,000 automated calls. However, the party 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 Information Commissioner's Office about Mr Clegg's pre-recorded message the regulator concluded that the party had indeed contravened the Regulations. In its Enforcement Notice, the Information Commissioner's Office 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.