Wednesday 17 September 2008

An Answer for Iain Dale Regarding TPS

Iain Dale says the following about Nick Clegg's automated call outs this evening:

"They [the Lib Dems] highlight people who are on TPS and are supposed to be excluded from phone lists. But I would bet quite a lot of money that the LibDem phone calls this evening will reach thousands of people who simply do not want them.

"Perhaps the LibDems would like to explain what measures they have taken to ensure that anyone registered with TPS does not get any of their phone calls."


Well I expect it is the same as any other piece of telephone canvassing I've ever done with the party. The lists will have been TPS cleared in the last week to see which numbers do have TPS. Like always we never call the TPS numbers this is easily programmable (putting my work hat on now) into whatever system is making the calls.

The argument about the SNP scenario was that they did not do this. As I know having despite having my number TPS listed for years at the time I picked up the phone one evening to hear Sir Sean Connery's dulcet tones.

That said I don't consider the most effective way to reach people is through an automated message.

2 comments:

  1. It's the fact that they are automated calls and that the people called have not opted in that make them unlawful under the Privacy of Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.

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  2. Sean as I have not heard the script of the call myself. I do not know whether a DPQ or equivalent question was asked before any button pressing and therefore gathering of such keys press was entered into. I belive this is the what you are referring to in relation to Privacy of Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. Automated calls of themselves are not unlawful as such but the storage of any information including the transfer sequences from automated systems that is.

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