# Let’s look at the Daily Mail’s privacy policy

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/09/04/lets-look-at-the-daily-mails-privacy-policy/
- Published: 2015-09-04T12:07:48+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Until newspapers adopt the same high clarity and data protection standards as 
DMA members, their frequent “junk mail and data” rants and devious targeting methods
display blatant hypocrisy. It’s time we started revealing their home truths.**

According to the Daily Mail people in the UK are suffering from “An avalanche of
junk mail: Nearly half daily postbag is now direct marketing … the Royal Mail wants
us to get even more!” and “Millions are facing junk mail deluge: Secret Royal Mail
plan to deliver marketing letters to shoppers who simply click on a product online”.

Oh really?

## Advertisement

It’s about time we direct marketers became equally vocal about the hypocrisy of 
this newspaper and demanded balanced, informed writing.

In the late 1990s I worked to embed the culture of data into national and regional
newspapers; first at the Telegraph; then News International; and finally the regional
press, which was paranoid about the impact of the infant internet’s cannibalisation
of classified advertising. They all regarded data as their saviour.

Newspapers wanted to understand readers and use this direct relationship to benefit
advertisers.

We collected questionnaire and phone data on everything from test drives, loans 
and insurance for telemarketing campaigns to readership data to boost subscriptions.

20 years’ later, the Internet provides huge amounts of fresh data and the legislators
are changing the structures.

While marketers do not shy from legitimate criticism, the Daily Mail is conducting
an anti-direct marketing/fundraising rabble-rousing campaign rather than using informed
argument which reflects the nuanced position of data in business and society.

Data is sometimes collected under false pretences and used badly. More usually, 
it is collected fairly and used to enhance customer experience and improve business
efficiency. The “data is scary and fundraising/ direct marketing is bad” message
might go down well with Daily Mail readers, but it can hardly be described as knowledgeable,
unbiased reporting.

Here is an example of the privacy policy of a newspaper committed to the use of 
direct marketing though highly-critical of other brands’ use of the discipline.

![Summary of Daily Mail policy on data and privacy](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/
wp-content/uploads/2015/09/daily-mail-privacy-policy-489x300.jpg)

Here’s a summary of what the Daily Mail website says about the data it collects

 

This approach certainly allows for a lot of data to be collected and provides permission
for that data to be used for a wide range of purposes including direct marketing.
The data might come from third parties and be passed onto third parties and if the
business is sold, any personal data might also be sold.

No doubt the Daily Mail would condemn such wide-ranging data permissions as a “shocking”
attempt by a “well respected national institution” to “avalanche people with direct
marketing.”

It would probably say: “Pray this company isn’t sold, because all the information
it holds on you might be sold as well.” It would probably reveal that “investigative
journalists” had discovered the newspaper had been combining information on you 
from other companies with data it has collected to help “its rich advertisers to
sell to you”.

As you will have guessed, the words above are taken from the [Daily Mail’s privacy policy](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/article-1388040/Privacy-Policy-Cookies.html).

![David Cole, MD fastMAP](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/
09/david-cole.jpg)

_**David Cole** is Managing Director and Founder of [FastMap](http://www.fastmap.com/).
At the cutting edge of data and research throughout his career, David launched the
UK’s first newspaper readership panel whilst at The Telegraph. As MD of CCB and 
fast.MAP David has supported the DMA and IoF with important tracking studies ([IoF Fundraising Media DNA](http://www.fastmap.com/fundraising-media-dna))._

_In 2014 fast.MAP launched the [Data Permissions Benchmark](http://www.fastmap.com/data-permissions-benchmark)
offering brands a process to increase the amount of donors/consumers that consent
to their marketing now used by charities such as Cancer Research UK, RSPCA and Royal
British Legion. David is Research Champion for the IOF Insight SIG and member of
the IOF Task Group reviewing consent preferences._

 

_Main image: [data and privacy padlocks](http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-312749399.html)
by Maksim Kabakou on Shutterstock.com_

 * **[Safe Harbor: what next for fundraisers?](https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/11/02/safe-harbor-what-next/)**(
   2 November 2015)
 * **[A glass half full guide to the introduction of the Fundraising Preference Service](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/01/06/a-glass-half-full-guide-to-the-introduction-of-the-fundraising-preference-service/)**(
   6 January 2016)
 * **[ICO criticises Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘disappointing attitude’](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/01/07/ico-criticises-disappointing-attitude-alzheimers-society/)**(
   7 January 2016)