Privacy Guarantor against uncontrolled telemarketing: heavy fines for TIM, Green Network and Sorgenia

The Privacy Guarantor continues his crusade against uncontrolled telemarketing with determination. It has recently carried out the confiscation of the databases of some call centers in Veneto and Tuscany, which have been guilty of violations of privacy and consent collection regulations. Today, the agency announced a new set of corrective and punitive measures. The decisions, the result of numerous significant investigations, affected some influential companies in the telecommunications and energy sectors: TIM, Green Network and Sorgenia. The main objective of these provisions is to stem the expansion of what the Organization has defined as the "undergrowth" of illegal telemarketing, hindering its action within the information and commercial resources of Italian companies.

Punishments and charges

TIM has been accused of not having exercised adequate control over some abusive call centers it uses, not recognized as part of its official network. Other points of concern were identified, such as problems processing data subject rights requests and the publication of personal data in public telephone directories without data subjects' consent. As a result, the company was fined 7.63 million euros. The energy companies Green Network and Sorgenia were also fined 237,800 and 676,956 euros respectively, for failing to implement adequate measures to ensure the traceability of all operations carried out on their platforms.

Implications and consequences

The sanctions have an impact on the companies involved, who have to deal not only with the economic consequences, but also with the implications on their relationships with customers. These companies must review their policies and procedures to ensure compliance with data protection regulations, and strive to regain customer trust by demonstrating a concrete commitment to compliance with privacy regulations. From the point of view of consumers, the measures adopted by the Guarantor have demonstrated its commitment to protecting the privacy of citizens and guaranteeing a more ethical commercial environment.

Future and prevention

In the past, the Guarantor has published press releases regarding wild telemarketing activities conducted by various call centres. With the recent sanctions imposed on Tim, Green Network and Sorgenia, the Organization wanted to hit once again the illegal call center system. In order to address the problem, it is therefore necessary to take specific measures to ensure the honesty and legality of the data processing carried out throughout the telemarketing "chain".