Data profiling by UK Political Parties can put your privacy at risk and threaten electoral integrity.

But data protection hands power back to voters

ORG has developed a tool for you to opt-out of data processing by the different Parties.

Find out more

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/opt-out-political-parties-processing-your-data-0

As voters head the polls in the Local Elections, we urge the Political Parties to clean up their data practices.

We urge voters to ask: What do they know about me? And what are they doing with it?

Use our tool to request what personal data the UK Parties hold about you

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/who-do-political-parties-think-we-are-4

Voters still have power over their data. But rights must be given effect.

When people used our tools to make a Subject Access Request or opt-out of profiling, no UK Political Party performed well.

Respecting voter privacy must be a key part of rebuilding trust and protecting electoral integrity.

While profiling by race has declined, voters are still profiled using wealth and income indicators, plus data of who voted in past elections.

If you're scored as unlikely to vote, you probably won't be contacted at all.

Such profiling leads to a vicious cycle of disenfranchisement rooted in class.

All UK Parties rely on international companies for their digital campaigning infrastructure.

Labour is particularly close with Experian – a credit reference agency with extraordinary powers to harvest personal data.

The lack of transparency leaves us with questions about the lawfulness of how data is separated and shared.

This year, ORG published a report into the canvassing apps used by UK Political Parties.

In the rush for a competitive advantage, the Parties are cutting corners with data protection and voter privacy may be put at risk of commercial exploitation.

Read more

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/publications/moral-hazard-voter-data-privacy-and-politics-in-election-canvassing-apps/

There's a Data Arms Race to win elections.

Data paints a picture of who we are, our values, our interests. This is used to predict how likely we are to vote and who for.

Political Parties use these profiles to tailor messaging and target resources in ways that can pollute the democratic process.