2013 has started as 2012 finished off with UK Information Commissioner (ICO) coming down hard on those who breach the Data Protection Act.
So far this January 3 organisations have fallen foul of the ICO:
- Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited
- Mansfield District Council
- Prospect Trade Union
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited fined £250,000 after the April 2011 hacking of the Sony PlayStation Network Platform (PSN). That breach resulted in millions of Sony customers having their data stolen including:
- Names
- Addresses
- Email addresses
- Dates of birth
- Account passwords
- Customers’ payment card details were also at risk.
David Smith, Deputy Commissioner and Director of Data Protection, said:
“If you are responsible for so many payment card details and log-in details then keeping that personal data secure has to be your priority. In this case that just didn’t happen, and when the database was targeted – albeit in a determined criminal attack – the security measures in place were simply not good enough.
“There’s no disguising that this is a business that should have known better. It is a company that trades on its technical expertise, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they had access to both the technical knowledge and the resources to keep this information safe.
“The penalty we’ve issued today is clearly substantial, but we make no apologies for that. The case is one of the most serious ever reported to us. It directly affected a huge number of consumers, and at the very least put them at risk of identity theft.
“If there’s any bright side to this it’s that a PR Week poll shortly after the breach found the case had left 77 per cent of consumers more cautious about giving their personal details to other websites. Companies certainly need to get their act together but we all need to be careful about who we disclose our personal information to.”
Mansfield District Council. The council had several incidents of housing benefit claimants personal data being disclosed to the wrong landlord. The ICO has issued a formal undertaking to Mansfield District Council.
Prospect Trade Union. Prospect unfortunately sent two files containing personal details of approximately 19,000 members of the union to an unknown third party email address in error. The ICO has issued a formal undertaking to Prospect.
Both Prospect and Mansfield District Council have agreed “Formal Undertaking”. An undertaking is a detailed and document agreement between the ICO and the organisation that breached the Data Protection Act, specifically how those that have breached the Act will improve their Data Protection regime.
The Sony hack was widely reporting and was a result of an external attack whilst the other two, Prospect and Mansfield District Council were both the result of avoidable human error.
Want to know who was caught in 2012? Read my post 2012 was a big year for the Data Protection Act with record fines and breaches, see the full 2012 list here.
