⁍ Experian intends to appeal the British data watchdog’s order to fundamentally change its handling of people’s personal data.

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⁍ The Information Commissioner’s Office said on Tuesday its enforcement notice came after a two-year investigation.

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⁍ The ICO said Experian has to make changes within nine months or risk further action.

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– The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office says Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion used people’s personal data for direct marketing purposes without their knowledge. The ICO has issued an enforcement notice against the three data broking companies, Reuters reports. Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion used personal data within their data broking businesses for direct marketing purposes, the ICO says. This resulted in products used by commercial organizations, political parties, and charities to find new customers and build profiles about people, the ICO says. Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion have been ordered to fundamentally change their handling of people’s personal data within nine months or be hit with a fine of up to $26 million. Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion made improvements to their data broking businesses but did not make enough progress in improving compliance with the ICO’s order, the regulator says. Experian says it plans to appeal the ruling. “We believe the ICO’s view goes beyond the legal requirements,” Experian says. “This interpretation also risks damaging the services that help consumers, thousands of small businesses, and charities, particularly as they try to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.”