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<p>Government recognises that, for many, nuisance calls are at best a source of irritation,
but for the most vulnerable they can be particularly stressful and damaging. We have
been clear that there is no place for nuisance calls in our society and have taken
a number of proactive actions in an attempt to resolve the problem.</p><p><strong>
</strong></p><p>The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) governs
unsolicited live or automated direct marketing calls, unsolicited direct marketing
emails and SMS text messages. The Information Commissioner is the UK's independent
regulator for data protection. DCMS is the sponsoring government department of the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). As part of fulfilling its sponsorship role,
DCMS continues to work with the ICO to ensure the UK implements its high standards
of data protection effectively.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The introduction of
the GDPR provided strict guidelines which strengthened the definition of consent for
direct marketing. Further to this, we reviewed PECR in January 2019 where we introduced
a ban on cold calling relating to pensions. The ban prohibited the selling of pension
services by pension providers unless the consumer has explicitly agreed to be contacted.</p><p><strong>
</strong></p><p>In addition, the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Regulations 2014
created a private right of redress for consumers who have entered into a contract
as a result of misleading actions or aggressive practices as defined in the Regulations.
Under these provisions, the consumer has the right to take civil action in the courts
to have the contract unwind (so they are put back in the position they were in before
the contract was made) and to receive a refund and to seek compensation for damages
for any additional losses or harm suffered as a result of the trader’s actions”.</p><p>
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