How to opt out of LiveRamp: the UK rights portal and email

LiveRamp is an advertising identity company, and it appears in the data broker register that Remove Me uses for its analysis. Its "Data Privacy Portal" page collects its privacy notices and the ways to exercise your rights. This guide reports what that page says, and adds the UK rules from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

What LiveRamp's page says

The "Privacy Choices and Rights" section says you may have certain legal rights over your data. It lists the right of access, deletion, limiting the use of your data and correction. LiveRamp states that these rights may be limited, for example if fulfilling your request would reveal personal data about another person.

The page does not describe how long LiveRamp takes to answer, and it does not list the documents it may ask for. For those points, the ICO's general guidance below is the best guide to what you can expect.

How to contact LiveRamp from the UK

LiveRamp's page has a table of countries. The UK appears under the heading for European countries, with two contact routes:

1. "The UK Your Rights Portal", a web page on LiveRamp's UK site where you can submit a request.
2. The email address ukprivacy@liveramp.com, if you prefer to write.

The page does not name a separate data protection officer for the UK. If you write by email, say clearly which right you are using. For example, you might ask LiveRamp to delete the personal data it holds about you, or first ask what it holds.

What to put in your request

The ICO says you should tell the organisation which personal data you want erased, and that you can ask verbally or in writing. It recommends following up any verbal request in writing, so that you have proof. No special wording is needed.

For LiveRamp, it helps to include:

• your full name, and the email address or phone number that you think the company could link to you;
• the right you are using, such as deletion or access;
• the date you sent the request, and a screenshot or a copy of the message.

Only send identity documents if LiveRamp asks. The ICO says an organisation may ask you to prove who you are, but it should request only the minimum information needed. The one-month response period starts when it receives that information.

The global opt-outs

Before the list of countries, the page offers two worldwide opt-outs. One is the "Global Opt Out of LiveRamp's Mobile Identifier". The other is the "Global Opt Out of LiveRamp's Third Party Cookie". They are separate from a rights request. The page does not spell out everything they cover, so read the descriptions on LiveRamp's own page before you click. You can use them as well as the UK portal, but one does not replace the other.

How long LiveRamp has to reply

LiveRamp's page gives no deadline. Under UK data protection rules, the ICO says an organisation has one calendar month to respond to an erasure request. In certain circumstances it can take up to two extra months, but it must tell you within the first month that it needs more time and why. In most cases there is no fee. A reasonable fee for administrative costs is only possible if the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

Note that the ICO's erasure page carries a notice saying the guidance is under review following the Data (Use and Access) Act. Check the ICO website for the current version.

If LiveRamp refuses or does not reply

If LiveRamp decides not to erase your data, it must still respond, explain why and tell you about your right to complain to the ICO or to go to court. Raise a complaint with LiveRamp first and give it a chance to resolve the matter. If you remain dissatisfied, you can complain to the ICO.

The ICO says it assesses each complaint individually and decides how far to look into it. There is no set outcome, and some complaints are recorded for information only. If you disagree with the result, you can ask for a review.

Why one request is rarely enough

Your details may sit with several organisations at once, and an opt-out with one company says nothing about the others. LiveRamp's page also does not say what happens to copies that other companies already hold. The ICO says that when an organisation has shared your data with others, it should tell them about an erasure unless that is impossible or involves disproportionate effort, and you can ask it who it has shared your data with.

See where you appear first

Remove Me's free analysis needs no account. It looks at publicly visible web results, known public data breaches and a register of data brokers, and shows you a report. It does not send erasure requests on your behalf, so any request to LiveRamp is one you send yourself.