PECR look set to change

The European Commission is proposing to make a number of technical modifications to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive which governs the use of email marketing.

To gauge the views of business on these proposals, the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform has published a consultation paper on the EU proposals. 

The proposals include a requirement for ISPs to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office and customers where a breach of security has occurred.

This is designed to provide more confidence to consumers for online transactions and in the fight against spam.

The EU Commission's case for reviewing the directive includes "increasing divergence" in the application of rules across the EU and a need for increased user's rights and consumer protection.

The impact on email marketers is not yet clear, but there is a good chance that UK law will be generally tightened as a result of these changes.