The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), UK’s independent data regulatory authority, issued a “commissioner’s opinion” that sets out data protection and privacy expectations for the AdTech industry.

The guidelines have been introduced to ensure adherence to existing data protection laws while avoiding excessive data collection, and are applicable to companies involved in online advertising. The new guidelines state that users need to have the opportunity to receive ads free of tracking and make it mandatory for firms to prove accountability throughout the entire data collection and processing lifecycle.

The latest report follows concerns raised by ICO in 2019 of data protection laws being violated in the industry. ICO has also reopened an investigation into AdTech firms in January 2021, which is currently ongoing.