Charities should know who is looking after their data privacy

23/06/08

Charities that use email marketing to run fundraising campaigns need to be wary of marketers that are not adhering to corporate data-privacy rules.

That is according to a survey by the Ponemon Institute. Some 713 marketers and 498 individuals responsible for data protection were polled, and the two groups revealed differing attitudes to privacy laws.

Network World reported that marketers in companies such as charities were far more likely to share confidential information.

Of those polled, 44 per cent of marketing professionals believed their companies were not 'in compliance with privacy regulations'.

By contrast, 84 per cent of the privacy and data protection professionals thought their businesses were fully compliant.

Larry Ponemon, director of the Ponemon Institute said that marketers were 'closer to the action' -  in business than the data-privacy folks and are 'getting away with murder'.

The website reported that whilst data-privacy people think they are the ones in control of protecting consumer data 'the reality is that the marketing side of the house is barreling ahead with its own ideas of what's appropriate in terms of sharing personal data'.

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