Electoral register sales

SIR – I agree with Tim Wood’s sentiments about the General Data Protection Regulations (Letters, May 12). A cornerstone of the GDPR is that an individual’s data should not be used for marketing purposes without their specific consent.

Small businesses, organisations and charities can live with that. They should not need to go through a process of getting consent to hold data already provided by the individual for the use expected by that individual.

Those wrestling with GDPR may not realise that one of the biggest holders of personal data is exempt, namely local authorities. In February 2018, on advice from the Information Commissioner’s Office, the Electoral Commission advised electoral registration officers that GDPR does not apply to open electoral registers.

In my constituency, St Ives, 43 per cent of the electorate have not applied to Cornwall council to “opt out”, so their names and addresses appear in the open register. If 43 per cent is applied across the whole electorate, 20 million citizens, without specific consent, can have their names and addresses sold on by local authorities, for any purpose to anyone who pays. Bob Wright

Helston, Cornwall