Challenging Reform’s failure on data rights

No organisation, especially a political party, should be allowed to ignore fundamental data rights.

Campaigning in politics is now heavily data driven. Political campaigns rely not just on large-scale national coverage, but also on online advertising and targeting to deliver specific messages to specific audiences – audiences that can be segmented either by geography or by special interest.

Over the last few years, political parties have become hungry for personal data about all of us, so that they can better target their messaging and campaigning. Each political party receives a copy of the electoral roll, which they supplement with their own data, as well as data merged from other sources, so they can build up a detailed picture of every voter.

In the hands of a far-right party like Reform, which thrives on division, this micro-targeting is particularly dangerous. So when it rides roughshod over data law it’s a red flag.

We’re mounting a group claim against Reform to make sure it complies with the law and respects people’s data rights.

Good Law Project has instructed Pallas LLP in this matter and they will be assisting and advising us with our prospective legal challenge to Reform. So we are taking our first formal step in legal proceedings against Reform.