Experian wins appeal against ICO over use of personal data

Consumer credit report company Experian has won its appeal against the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) over the way it deals with personal information.

According to the ICO, an information rights tribunal supported the its claim that Experian had not processed the personal data of more than 5 million people “transparently, fairly or lawfully” because it didn’t tell them the data was being used for direct marketing purposes.

However, the tribunal rejected the ICO’s view that Experian’s privacy notice was not transparent, that using credit reference data for direct marketing purposes was unfair, or that Experian did not properly assess its lawful basis.

The decision comes after the ICO found in autumn 2020 that Experian has been sharing the personal information of millions of people without consent and ordered the company to stop.

Experian said it was "very pleased" with the decision.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com