Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions has had with the Information Commissioner's Office on improving regulation of real time bidding.

Data protection legislation in the UK requires organisations which collect and use personal data to do so lawfully and transparently. Organisations which fail to comply may be investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the independent regulator.

The ICO is working with the advertising industry to improve compliance with the legislation, including in relation to real time bidding. More information on the actions they have taken can be viewed on the ICO’s website at: https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/news-and-blogs/2020/01/blog-adtech-the-reform-of-real-time-bidding-has-started/. They have also recently launched a public consultation on a draft direct marketing code of practice, governing the processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes.

Last year the government announced its intention to review how online advertising is regulated in the UK, looking at how well the current regime is equipped to tackle the challenges posed by developments in online advertising. This work will complement and supplement other reviews underway in this area, including work by the ICO.