• by Ray Schultz , March 27, 2019

Grove Pension Solutions Ltd., an insurance provider based in Kent, England, has been fined £40,000 for sending over 1.9 million emails to consumers without their consent after receiving “misleading” advice.

The fine was announced on Tuesday by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The emails were sent between October 2016 and October 2017.

The company received legal advice along with input from a data protection consultancy about the use of hosted marketing.

However, the advice was inaccurate and the company was found liable.

"We acknowledge that Grove Pension Solutions Ltd took steps to check that their marketing activity was within the law, but received misleading advice,” states Andy White, director of investigations and intelligence at the ICO. “However, ultimately, they are responsible for ensuring they comply with the law and they were in breach of it.” 

White adds: "Spam email uses people's personal data unlawfully, filling up their inboxes and promoting products and services which they don't necessarily want.”