Two new guides, one for individuals called 'Unwanted Marketing' and one for organisations focusing on the Corporate Telephone Preference Service, will be part of a series entitled, 'It's Your Information'.
'Unwanted Marketing' explains the rights of individuals to prevent their personal details being used for direct marketing and the steps they can take if they receive marketing they believe may be breaking the law.
Aimed at companies, the other guide explains how organisations can register on the CTPS to reduce the number of unwanted direct marketing calls received, and the CTPS rules regarding organisations making direct marketing calls.
Phil Jones, assistant commissioner at the ICO, said: "We often receive complaints from individuals to say that they find unwanted marketing calls very annoying. Our new guidance will make sure that individuals know what their rights are and what they can do if they think a company is breaking the law."
This follows claims by data protection consultancy Opt-4 in February this year, that the ICO had too much of a "low profile", meaning that data protection issues were not being taken seriously at board level.
Opt-4 carried out research showing that many companies do not track the consumer opt-outs they receive while in some cases companies are collecting data without the necessary permissions for future marketing.
Jones said: "In line with our regulatory strategy we always seek to ensure that organisations comply with the legislation by providing them with advice and guidance in the first instance. However, we will not hesitate from taking enforcement action against organisations that persistently breach the regulations."
Run by the Direct Marketing Association, the ICO hopes the new guidance information will explain the Data Protection Act 1998 in simple terms. Copies will be available on the from early September.
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