Wednesday, 2nd of February 2025
The ICO has launched an online tool, allowing companies to ensure compliance with UK marketing laws, covered in the GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR).
The direct marketing advice generator helps organisations get reliable compliance advice, tailored to their own direct marketing activities. It can assist in making sure they’re contacting people who are happy to hear from them, thereby saving the companies time and money and protecting their reputation.
The tool covers email, SMS, direct mail, social media, telemarketing and more.
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Last week, we reported that the Italian Data Protection Authority has sent a request to DeepSeek's headquarters to enquire how they use personal data. Shortly thereafter, the platform was banned in Italy.
Several other countries have now followed in Italy's footsteps:
- Taiwan’s digital ministry has advised government officials to refrain from using DeepSeek’s model, citing fears of potential data leakage.
- South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission has announced plans to question the company regarding its use of personal user data.
- France’s National Commission for Information Technology and Civil Liberties (CNIL) is preparing to launch its own investigation into DeepSeek’s data protection practices.
- Belgium is examining potential violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the company.
- Ireland and Croatia have requested more information about how the company handles personal data.
These investigations highlight the growing global concerns surrounding DeepSeek’s operations.
What is the problem with using DeepSeek? Why are so many countries suspicious of its activity?
The concerns around DeepSeek stem from the company’s questionable data privacy practices. Security firm Wiz Research uncovered a DeepSeek database that was left exposed: an attacker could not only retrieve sensitive logs and actual plain-text chat messages, but they could also potentially exfiltrate passwords and local files directly from the server.
With so many countries now investigating the company, it seems prudent for users to be extra careful when using Deepseek.
Read more on the DeepSeek security report here
