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[sevenlayermuddle]

I vistited the Dentist today.   My appointment was late, so I sat in the waiting room for about half an hour, as other customers came & went.

I noticed the receptionist was asking each customer when they departed, whether they wished to continue receive marketing calls, emails, and text messages?   If ‘yes’, they were asked to sign a form, granting consent.  I, of course, declined - one less spammer in my life.

But of the half dozen or so other customers that passed through as I waited, nobody else declined.   Each and every one of them meakly signed their consent.

[Black Sheep]

I personally like the text-messaging reminder that my dentist gives ....... tbh, that's the only thing I do get from them.

I don't receive any kind of spam regarding dentistry et al, from any other source either. What kind of dentist do you have 7LM, that send e-mails and encourages marketing calls ?? 

[sevenlayermuddle]

Main trouble is, BS, when such ‘consent’ also extends, in the small print, to “trusted partners” or some such twaddle.   That means they can sell on your data to all and sundry.

I have no idea whether my dentist’s form had such a clause, as I simply declined.   But  data is worth money, and they are in business to make money, so I’d be surprised if they did not want to sell it onwards.

Even if is just local Dentist though, acting for themselves, I actually do not want them calling/texting me just because a checkup is due.  They have my mobile number, which I supplied so that they can contact me if (say) the dentist has called in sick, to save me a wasted journey, but I don’t want them using it any other time.

I’ll have to wait and see if GDPR puts an end to the annoying reminders.  I do hope so.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Just had another example, from somebody from whom I bought a part for my garage door some years ago, and I’d completely forgotten about them.

You may have heard about the new General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), that comes into effect May 25, 2018.  ... <much deleted>

Asked me to “agree” to continued spam.   I won’t.  One less spammer.   Result.   

This is the only bit of EU law I have ever liked.

[jelv]

So the fact that you get many what you regards as spam emails is down to your own carelessness. If you are so adverse you would have given a different email address to every organisation (john001@7lm.me.uk, john002@7lm.me.uk etc). Then when you start getting what you regard as spam you could have blocked that address and would have known who was responsible for passing on your email address.

(Incidently the domain 7lm.me.uk is available!)

[sevenlayermuddle]

I have used one-off email addresses where I suspected it might be abused.  If proven, I would not simply “block” the email, I would have raised a complaint with the abuser, ensuring they know I have withdrawn my “deemed consent”.   All of that takes time, which I begrudge, thus my view...

... Roll on, GDPR.

I am aware of course that there also seem to be (I assume unintended) consequences of GDPR, causing headaches for small time websites, as has been evident on threads on these forums for which I do sympathise.

Does anybody know... might GDPR also reduce the amount of marketing phone calls I receive?   Or paper junk mail I receive through my letterbox?

[jelv]

Or paper junk mail I receive through my letterbox?

It could only reduce the mail addressed to you. It won't affect mail addressed to "The occupier" or unaddressed mail.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Reducing the junk mail addressed to me, or to my other half, would be a major step forwards.

I’m guessing that may well happen, as the senders of such junk will almost always be relying on a database to which I have never consented, at least to interpretations of “consent” as laid down in GDPR.   Thus, as I understand it, they will have to either get my explicit consent or stop.

Remember too, the annoying scam phone calls many of us get are usually from totally lawless crooks, who won’t be concerned about compliance GDPR, or any other laws.   But the source of their data can often be traced back to a legally held database that has leaked.   By reducing the number of databases I am on, the frequency of leaks that contain my details ought to reduce, so might even see a cut in the scam calls.

[renluop]

I have used one-off email addresses where I suspected it might be abused.  If proven, I would not simply “block” the email, I would have raised a complaint with the abuser, ensuring they know I have withdrawn my “deemed consent”.   All of that takes time, which I begrudge, thus my view...

... Roll on, GDPR.

I am aware of course that there also seem to be (I assume unintended) consequences of GDPR, causing headaches for small time websites, as has been evident on threads on these forums for which I do sympathise.

Such as my local community centre, U3A, and choral society. All run by volunteers with much less skill, than even I have.

Does anybody know... might GDPR also reduce the amount of marketing phone calls I receive?   Or paper junk mail I receive through my letterbox?
Considering the number which are from International or spoofed numbers I have my doubts

And we'll have the latest antics of Royal Mail to contend with. TBH I could be very tempted to "return to sender- not known at address". A deluge of folk doing that would put paid to that idiocy.

[Ronski]

At the end of the day GDPR is going to be a whole lot of hassle for the companies that want to remain on the right side of the law, the rest will carry on regardless, and enforcement will be so overwhelmed they'll get away with it.

[sevenlayermuddle]

And we'll have the latest antics of Royal Mail to contend with. TBH I could be very tempted to "return to sender- not known at address". A deluge of folk doing that would put paid to that idiocy.

It has always (for a long time, at least) been possible to opt out of Royal Mail leaflet drops.  They just don’t publicise it very well, I think it’s hard work for the posties to remember who they can deliver to and who they cannot.   Plus, they lose revenue from opt outs.

https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/293/~/how-do-i-opt-out-of-receiving-any-leaflets-or-unaddressed-promotional-material%3F

I did opt out myself, maybe 25-30 years ago.   It generally worked, no more leaflets.   One morning I was awoken by the doorbell about 7 am, long before my usual wake time.   Bleary eyed, I crawled downstairs to answer.  It was the post lady (remember early delivieries?).   She’d accidentally put a leaflet through the door, reallised her mistake, and was offering to take it away again.