Two companies have been fined a total of £83,000 for breaking the rules about how people’s personal information should be treated when sending marketing emails.
An investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found UK-based airline Flybe deliberately sent more than 3.3 million emails to people who had told them they didn’t want to receive marketing emails from the firm.
The emails, sent in August 2016 by Flybe, with the title ‘Are your details correct?’ advised recipients to amend any out of date information and update any marketing preferences. The email also said that by updating their preferences, people may be entered into a prize draw.
The airline has now been fined £70,000 for breaking the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR).