The ins and outs of opting out

So, what does opting out mean for you? In a nutshell:

  • We won't pass your contact details on to our clients for direct marketing purposes
  • Nor will we process your personal data for any profiling activity that supports our clients' direct marketing
  • It won't impact the communications you've opted in to receive if you hold an Experian account (which allows you to view your credit report or score)

Bear in mind this could result in you getting marketing communications from organisations that are less relevant to you.

Opting out of us processing and using your data within our marketing services for direct marketing will not stop other organisations from doing so. You'll still see ads online and you'll probably still receive direct mail.

If you have an Experian account, you will continue to receive communications from us in the form of emails, letters, SMS etc, in line with the preferences you have set in your account. If you would like to manage your preferences, please log in to your account.

We've got information below on how to reduce the marketing communications you receive from all organisations.

Continue to opt out form

Want to opt out of other organisations using your data?

If you want to stop receiving direct marketing from companies you are not a customer of, there are simple steps you can take

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Postal Marketing

Postal Marketing

You can opt out of postal marketing by registering with the Mail Preference Service (MPS) at http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/. This is an industry-wide service administered by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) and recognised by the Information Commissioner.

The Baby Mailing Preference Service (BMPS) specifically aims to reduce the amount of baby-related post you receive. You can register at https://www.mpsonline.org.uk/bmps.

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Telephone Marketing

Telephone Marketing

Experian does not provide landline or mobile numbers to organisations to be used for telemarketing or SMS marketing in the context of prospecting for new customers, as we recognise the intrusiveness of telephone and mobile channels when used for this marketing activity.

You can opt out of telemarketing by registering with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) at http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/.

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Email Marketing

Email Marketing

Unlike postal or telephone channels, there's no industry-wide service to opt out of email marketing. You should always review privacy policies and marketing opt-in check boxes when registering for services or buying products online.

If you receive unwanted email marketing, you can either unsubscribe via an easy-to-find link in the email itself or use spam filters to prevent future emails from reaching you.

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Open electoral register

Open Electoral Register

This is the version of the electoral register that's available to anyone who wants to buy a copy.

Your name, address and date of birth will be included in the EER unless you ask your local Electoral Registration Office for them to be removed. Note that your date of birth is only required on the electoral forms if you're a "young attainer" to show you'll turn 18 in the upcoming year(s).

Opting out of the open register won't affect your right to vote.

To find out more about the difference between the two registers and to opt out of the open register visit https://www.gov.uk/electoral-register/opt-out-of-the-open-register.

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Online advertising

Online advertising

Many organisations use data to display relevant advertising to you when browsing online.

While advertisers generally don’t know your identity, they can understand your likely characteristics based on your browsing behaviour or location. If you’d prefer not to receive targeted advertising based on this information there are a few things you can do.

This type of activity relies on the use of cookies. Cookies are small files used by websites to recognise returning visitors. Declining cookies when visiting sites will prevent them from gathering data about you and tailoring their advertising to you. And all modern browsers have a setting to clear cookies, which will delete your cookie data stored from previous website visits.

When personalised adverts are displayed on the internet the AdChoices icon is usually displayed, which looks like a blue arrow with the letter i inside. Clicking this will give you specific guidance on how to control your online advertising preferences. More information is available at http://youradchoices.com/.

Learn more about the use of cookies for online advertising and other ways to opt out at http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/.

Cookies used for advertising do not generally work on mobile devices. But advertisers can still recognise returning visitors both online and in apps using something called an ‘advertising ID’.

Each mobile device creates its own advertising ID. This gathers data on your activity online and your usage of applications on that device. An ID can be reset at any time, which deletes all data held against it.

Instructions on resetting advertising IDs will vary by device, but you can find details here for Apple devices or here for Android devices.

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