Mobile phone ads could break the law

LONDON (Brand Republic) - Advertisements sent to Wap-enabled mobile phones could be illegal under the EU’s telecoms data protection directive, the Data Protection Commission has warned.

The Commission said that location-based marketing showing ads and information for third-party companies could be banned under the European directive, even if the consumer has given permission to receive them.

The Department of Trade and Industry, however, said that this restriction could be lifted by a new draft telecoms directive to be discussed at a summit in Lisbon next year.

It is understood that telecoms watchdog Oftel and the Data Protection Commission are both sympathetic to a change in the law, according to an Ananova report.

Mobile phone firms such as Orange and Vodafone recently paid £60bn to the government for the rights to the third-generation mobile licences.

This article was first published on brandrepublic.com