Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing use of AI-driven personalised marketing by large retailers; and what steps they are taking to ensure that regulatory frameworks relating to consumer protection, data use and competition remain effective.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that regulation keeps pace with new technologies.

In 2025, Government implemented the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to strengthen the competition and consumer regimes and establish a bespoke regime for digital markets, which will ensure the most powerful technology firms treat businesses and consumers fairly. It also strengthened the Competition and Market Authority's consumer enforcement powers, empowering the CMA and courts to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover.

Where storage and access technologies, such as cookies, are used in personalised marketing, the user must be provided clear and comprehensive information about the purpose of such technology and consent to its use. Any personal data used in personalised marketing must follow the rules and principles of the GDPR. The Information Commissioner’s Office is responsible for enforcement.