Under GDPR, you cannot simply collect and use phone numbers without a legitimate reason. You must identify and rely on one of the six lawful bases for processing personal data. For marketing purposes, the most relevant bases are:
Consent (Most Common and Safest)
This is the strongest legal basis for direct marketing via phone calls or SMS. Consent must be:
- Freely Given: Individuals must have a genuine choice, without coercion or detriment for refusing.
- Specific: Consent must be for a clearly defin purpose (e.g., “to receive marketing calls,” “to receive SMS offers”). General consent for all communications is not sufficient.
- Inform: Individuals must be clearly inform about who is collecting their data, what data is being collect, and how it will be us.
- Unambiguous: Requires a clear affirmative action (e.g., ticking an un-pre-check box, texting a keyword). Silence, pre-tick boxes, or inactivity do not constitute consent.
- Easy to Withdraw: Individuals
- To request a copy russia phone number list of their personal data.
- must be able to withdraw their consent at any time, easily and without detriment.
- Legitimate Interest (Applicable, but More Complex, especially for B2B): This basis can sometimes be us for B2B direct marketing calls, but it’s a balancing act. You must demonstrate that your legitimate interests in processing the data (e.g., to market your services) are not overridden by the fundamental rights and freoms of the data subject (e.g., their right to privacy).
- This requires a Legitimate Interest Assessment (LIA), weighing your interest against the individual’s rights.
- The marketing should be genuinely relevant to the recipient’s professional role.
- You must still provide a clear opt-out.
- For B2C (consumer) phone calls or best practices for effective telemarketing in 2025 SMS, relying on legitimate interest is generally not consider compliant under GDPR.
Transparency and Data Subject Rights
GDPR places a strong emphasis on transparency and empowering individuals with control over their personal data.
- Privacy Notice: When you collect phone numbers, you must provide a clear and concise privacy notice. This notice should detail:
- Your identity and contact details.
- The purpose(s) for processing the phone numbers.
- The lawful basis for processing.
- How long the data will be stor.
- The data subjects’ rights (see below).
- Data Subject Rights: Individuals have several rights regarding their phone numbers:
- Right to Information: To know what data you hold about them and how it’s being us.
- Right of Access:
- Right to Rectification: To have inaccurate data correct.
- Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): To request that their phone number be delet under certain circumstances (e.g., if consent is withdrawn).
- Right to Restriction of Processing: To limit how their data is us.
- Right to Object: To object to direct marketing. This is particularly important for phone numbers; if someone objects, you must immiately stop contacting them for marketing.
- Right to Data Portability: To receive usa b2b list their data in a structur, commonly us, and machine-readable format.
Data Minimization and Storage Limitation
GDPR promotes a “privacy by design and by default” approach, which includes minimizing data collection and retaining it only for as long as necessary.
- Data Minimization: Only collect the phone numbers and associat personal data that are absolutely necessary for your specifi purposes. Don’t collect extra information “just in case.”
- Storage Limitation: You must not keep phone numbers for longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they were collect. Establish clear data retention policies and securely delete numbers once they are no longer ne (e.g., after an individual unsubscribes and a reasonable grace period for processing that request).
- Secure Storage: Implement robust technical and organizational measures to protect phone numbers from unauthoriz access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. This includes encryption, access controls, and regular security audits.
Impact on Purchas Phone Number Lists
The strict requirements of GDPR make the use of purchas phone number lists for marketing purposes, particularly B2C, highly problematic and risky.
- Lack of Verifiable Consent: It’s almost impossible for a purchas list to provide verifiable proof that each individual has given explicit, inform consent for your specific business to contact them for marketing purposes, in compliance with GDPR standards.
- Fines for Non-Compliance: Using a non-compliant list can result in severe fines. Regulators have issu penalties for unsolicit marketing calls and SMS messages, even if the numbers were obtain from a third party.
- Reputational Damage: Receiving unsolicit calls or SMS from a company they never interact with can lead to negative customer perception and a flood of complaints to data protection authorities.
- Recommendation: For GDPR compliance, the safest and most recommend approach is to build your phone number list organically through your own direct opt-in processes. If you consider using a third-party list. You must have an airtight data. processing agreement (DPA) with the provider. and. Verifiable proof of. Consent for each individual for your intend marketing purposes. Which is rarely feasible for generic purchas lists.
