Spam crusade lands charity in hot water with data watchdog

The UK ICO ordered charity Penny Appeal to cease sending unsolicited marketing texts after it dispatched over 460,000 messages to 52,000 individuals without valid consent and failed to honor opt-outs, generating 354 complaints. An investigation found a new database failed to record opt-outs and messages were sent to anyone who had interacted with the charity in the past five years, despite prior commitments to improve compliance. The ICO warned that all organizations, including small charities, must ensure valid consent for direct marketing.