UK data watchdog fines three text spammers for flouting electronic marketing rules

A "debt management company" is itself facing a bill from Britain's data regulator for sending hundreds of thousands of text messages to households that opted not to receive marketing junk mail. Digivo Media Ltd, which traded as Rid My Debt, dispatched 415,000 texts over five and a half months ending September 2021, according …

[elsergiovolador]

It's fine

So 415k messages for £50k - that works out to be 12p per message. A bit steep, but still in the realms of cost of doing business if the ROI was on point.

What's the point of ICO, can someone remind me?

[Vometia has insomnia. Again.]

Re: It's fine

There isn't one, really. My last interaction with them was trying to get them to correct some personal information when the organisation holding it refused to do so and they just said "well it's just their opinion and we're all entitled to our opinion", or words to that effect. No, it wasn't an opinion, it was factually incorrect but the ICO doesn't seem capable of distinguishing.

I'm also wondering what's with this new habit of putting every single cash amount in the USD equivalent: I'm sure US readers can figure it out for themselves after the first one, if they're even all that interested. I recall they didn't do this before their inexplicable move to American Spellings Uber Alles if they published an article about the US. I often get this feeling that someone there is trying a bit too hard to make a point.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: It's fine

I suppose we should be grateful they don't simply quote them in USD alone.

***** BRING BACK DABBSY! *****

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: It's fine

the point is window dressing. Looks pretty from the distance, but the closer you get to it, the more staples and dead flies, etc. But hey, somebody gets paid for this and guess who's paying them.

[David 132]

Yeah, that’ll learn ‘em.

The companies named in the article will promptly pay up and move into more virtuous business models.

They absolutely won’t just declare bankruptcy and sell all their assets & customer lists for a nominal sum to newly-registered, almost-identically named companies that coincidentally share the same principal directors. No way.

[Snake]

Re: Yeah, that’ll learn ‘em.

Even better to show this, as well as many, many, many, many other events (today's FTX ruling) as a counterpoint to those naive enough to swallow anti-regulation 'libertarian' ideals. Somehow they believe that, after you remove all oversight / governmental rules & regulations, people will behave with nothing but gentle love and affection towards one another. They'd never cheat, would they??

We can't even get the scum of the world to do the right thing when we do have rules telling them how to behave. -_-

[Dimmer]

Re: Yeah, that’ll learn ‘em.

Re: snake,

I guess I might be considered one of those anti-regulatory guys.

They texted over a mil of people and they are only fined a small amount? And who did the fine money go to if they even collected it?

My anti-regulation stance is ; make a law that is well defined of the violation and the punishment. Not a single penny goes to any agency but to the persons affected. And - it requires equal enforcement for all.

So yes I am for government but completely against bureaucracy and because of that I am told I am anti-regulatory.

[Mike007]

Re: Yeah, that’ll learn ‘em.

Why would they bother with the hassle of forming another company? They can just go for 2 weeks without restocking the toilet paper in the gents and they will have paid for the fine.

[Tubz]

Do they actually publish how much of the fines they actually recover against what they issue ? if not why not, something to hide, like they don't bother their overpaid arses and it's just lip service to justify their existence, wages and generous government pension pots.

[Inventor of the Marmite Laser]

Make it £10 per message sent and I might start being convinced it's a bit of a deterrent.

[nobody who matters]

Until they start levying fines that will actually cripple these companies (and severely impact the finances of their management and owners) <and> until they start to ensure that those fines are actually paid in full, it is utterly pointless for journalists to bother reporting these cases.

[abend0c4]

Of the three companies, two are late in filing their accounts, one of which has never filed accounts. Of the two companies for whom data exists, the fine amounts to the majority of assets of one and is a fraction of the total debt of the other. The problem is that the directors are not held liable for the regulatory failings for which they are responsible.

[Vestas]

Bit worse than that.

Two have come within a couple of days of being struck off, one has renamed itself twice, and one moved address on the day of the judgement. Two have pending court cases - but looking at the directors that's a normal state of affairs given their MANY MANY previous "ventures".

Companies law "enforcement" in England is an open invitation to commit fraud and money laundering - no surprise there as England has depended wholly on money laundering/tax evasion to stay afloat for the last 75 years. The Spider's Web is well worth a view for anyone naive enough to believe England is anything other than totally corrupt.

There are NO CHECKS WHATSOEVER on any details of a company - in fact there's been plenty of examples of literally hundreds of companies (Chinese exporters on Amazon marketplace mainly) registered to the same residential address. Do Companies House give a toss? Do they fuck because they've been told not to by the Tories.