Mailing Preference Service (MPS)

MPS understands its obligations to protect your privacy, the information that you provide to us is valuable in tackling the problem of personally addressed unsolicited direct marketing mail delivered to UK residential addresses. We therefore value it and wouldn't want to use it in a way that you won't expect.

This Privacy Notice informs you about what we do to protect your privacy and how you can control the way we use your personal data.

If you have any concern about how we use your data including making changes please contact us using the methods below:

By Email: mps@dma.org.uk
By Phone: 020 7291 3310
By Post: MPS, Rapier House, 40-46 Lamb's Conduit Street, London, WC1N 3LJ

Information you provide to us

Information is provided to us directly via our website, email, over the phone, by letter or face to face, we will only ask for information that we need to enable us to provide the service requested. In order to administer the central 'Do Not Mail' register and the value added complaints handling service we normally ask you to provide us with:

Your name
Your contact details
Your Postal address registered (or to be registered)

Information provided to us by other organisations

You may also provide your information to us via another website e.g. agencies who promote reduction in personally addressed unsolicited direct marketing mail, e.g. local authority and consumer protection organisations.

Any such information should have been collected under the other organisations Privacy Notice, we ask that you read and fully understand how they handle your personal data.

Information provided to us via cookies

A “cookie” is a piece of information, like a tag, which some websites create on your PC. Our cookies allocate each user of this website with a random number. The cookies used on this site are not used for the collection of any personal information. Our cookies will not be used to analyse your visits to other websites or track any internet searches you may undertake whilst on the website. The information collected via cookies will be used to track movement on this website and for statistical analysis.

How we use your data

We use your personal information in various ways to:

Register your address unto the central 'Do Not Mail' register
Process your complaint about receipt of unsolicited direct marketing mail
Process query relating to registration or complaint handling
Administer the process of enabling organisations who send out unsolicited direct marketing mail with a licence to facilitate screening against the central 'Do Not Mail' register so they can identify subscribers and addresses to which personally addressed unsolicited direct marketing mail must not be sent.
Report to regulatory and enforcement bodies to enable enforcement against organisations who are reported by you to have failed to comply with their obligations relating to MPS and/ or the Ad codes
Research and statistical analysis

Who we share your data with

We only share your personal data for reasons directly relating to registration or complaint handling. We use processors for our business operations who process personal data under our control:

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) who enforce advertising rules against all UK media
Acxiom for registration unto the central 'Do Not Mail' register
MIQ Solutions for website hosting and complaint handing application
Aspire Technology Solution who provide our office and email hosting system

All servers unto which personal data is stored are held and processed within the European Economic Area (EEA). If required we will disclose or share your information without your consent, for example if we are required to do so by the courts, the police or other legal reasons.

How we keep your personal information safe

We understand and take our obligations to keep your personal data safe and secure very seriously. We comply with all regulatory and best practice guides including the DMA Code. We hold Cyber Essential Plus certification, a UK government backed scheme that protects against a whole range of the most common cyber attacks.

Personal information is accessible on a job specific basis with all staff members undergoing data handling training as part of their ongoing development. We hold a document library of information governance policies and procedures which all staff members comply with. We have specific technical controls in place to restrict access.

How long we keep your personal information

As part of our information governance we hold a data retention policy, we keep personal information in line with our data retention policy. We hold on the register registrations for as long as the subscriber wishes to remain registered.

Our retention period for complaints reported about receipt of an unsolicited direct marketing mail is 6 years. In relation to organisations who purchase a licence to enable screening against the register, we have a statutory obligation to keep financial information for 7 years for financial auditing purpose.

How you can find out about the information we hold about you

It is your right to request from us a copy of the information that we hold about you. To request a copy, please write or email us using the contact details provided in this policy. Once we have verified your identity, we will give you a description of it, tell you why we are holding it, who it may be shared with, and provide a clear copy of the information.

Our legal basis for processing your personal information

The legal basis upon which MPS relies is that processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller. Where the mailing breaches the Ad Codes, the complaint is referred to the ASA for appropriate action.

What to do if you have a complaint

If you have a complaint regarding your personal information please contact us at mps@dma.org.uk. If after our response you remain unsatisfied, it is your right to contact the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/concerns/.

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