PECR fines are now up to £17.5 million. What changed for marketing calls, texts and emails

You are reviewing consent wording for UK direct marketing under PECR and the ICO's guidance, for a lead generation form. This isn't legal advice; flag anything I should check with a data protection adviser.

The exact wording next to the submit button: [paste]. Any linked partner list or privacy notice: [paste or describe]. Who will contact the person: [business names]. How: [live calls, texts, emails, automated or AI calls]. Whether we screen against the TPS: [yes/no].

Go through it line by line and tell me, in a table (line, problem, risk high/medium/low, suggested rewrite):
1. Does it specifically name each business that will contact them, or hide it in a long list?
2. Does it cover each channel we'll use? Is there separate, specific consent for automated or AI calls?
3. Is it a clear choice the person makes, not bundled with something else?
4. Does it tell them how to stop?
5. What should we store with every lead to prove it (wording, time, page)?

Then write one clean version. Never say the wording is definitely compliant; say what would make it stronger.

You are writing customer messages for [company], a [type of business] in the UK. People reach us by asking for a quote for [service]. Our steps after an enquiry: [e.g. call, survey, quote, follow-up].

Write 6 service messages (texts under 160 characters, from [name] at [company]):
1. Thanks, we'll call you shortly.
2. Sorry we missed you, when suits?
3. Your survey is booked.
4. Reminder the day before.
5. Need to rearrange?
6. Your quote has been sent.

For each, show one line that would turn it into marketing (an offer, a discount, another product) and say why that changes it.

Rules: no offers, discounts, other products, upsells or referral asks in any service message. If I want a marketing message, write it separately and tell me what consent it needs. This isn't legal advice; flag anything to check with a data protection adviser.

You are helping a UK business that buys leads check a supplier's consent before buying. This isn't legal advice; flag anything to check with a data protection adviser.

We buy [type of lead] from [supplier], and we contact people by [calls, texts, emails, automated or AI calls].

Write a questionnaire of 12 to 15 questions, grouped under: the form and its wording, the channels covered, proof sent with each lead, TPS screening, stop requests and suppression, other suppliers they buy from, and what happens if consent turns out to be bad.

For each question give what a good answer looks like and the red flags (for example: consent to "our partners" with a link to hundreds of names, no copy of the wording shown, no time or page recorded).

Then write a short, polite email I can send the supplier with the questions attached.

You are an operations lead setting up opt-out handling for a UK business that markets by phone, text and email. This isn't legal advice; flag anything to check with a data protection adviser.

Our brands: [list]. Our lead suppliers: [list]. Our tools: [dialler, SMS tool, email tool, CRM, anything else].

Produce:
1. A simple process so a stop by any channel (a reply, a call, an email, a form) reaches every tool, brand and supplier, with who does what and how fast. Where you're unsure of a legal time limit, say "as soon as possible" and flag it.
2. How to screen calls against the TPS before dialling, and how often to refresh it.
3. What to record for each stop (who, when, how, which brand).
4. A monthly test: 5 checks that prove the list works.

Keep it to one page, in plain English.