UK watchdog fines child care company for selling data

LONDON – Britain’s information watchdog has fined a firm that offers advice on pregnancy and child care 140,000 pounds ($180,000) for illegally collecting and selling personal information that ended up being used in a database for the Labour Party.

The Information Commissioner’s Office says Lifecycle Marketing (Mother and Baby) Ltd, also known as Emma’s Diary, sold the information on 1 million people to Experian Marketing Services. Experian created a database to help the Labour Party profile new mothers before the 2017 General Election.

The ICO says the company’s privacy policies didn’t disclose that the data would be used for political marketing or by political parties.

The case is part of ongoing investigations into the use of data for political purposes.

Data Commissioner Elizabeth Denham says “the democratic process must be transparent.”