The UK’s data watchdog has taken action against SkyBet after accusing the gambling site of an ‘unlawful’ use of cookies.
The Information Commissioner’s Office said Sky Betting and Gaming was processing people’s personal information and sharing it with advertising technology companies as soon as they accessed the SkyBet website – before they had the option to accept or reject advertising cookies.
This meant their personal information could be used to target them with personalised adverts without their prior consent or knowledge, with the company using cookies “in a way that was not lawful, transparent or fair.”
The breach took place in early 2023, with Sky Betting and Gaming making changes to its cookies practices as a result of the ICO’s investigation to ensure that people could reject advertising cookies.
Stephen Bonner, Deputy Commissioner at the ICO, said: “We’ve all seen adverts online that seem designed specifically for us, such as an ad for trainers after signing up to a gym online. Some people may be happy to consent to receive these, but others may not be comfortable receiving similar adverts, especially when it comes to sensitive aspects of our digital activity.
“Our enforcement action against Sky Betting and Gaming is a warning that there will be consequences if organisations breach the law, and people are denied the choice over targeted advertising.
“We are preparing to scrutinise the next 100 most frequented websites, so I urge all organisations to assess their cookie banners now to make sure consent can be freely given before a letter arrives from the regulator.”
The enforcement action comes as the ICO is working to crack down on websites that do not offer people a fair and informed choice over whether they want their personal information to be used for targeted advertising.
Last year, the regulator reviewed the UK’s top 100 websites and discovered issues with how more than half of these websites were using advertising cookies. The ICO wrote to these 53 to warn that they faced enforcement action if they did not make changes to advertising cookies to comply with data protection law.
