Wetherby Town Council: Apology over 'data breach' blunder as personal details mistakenly shared
Wetherby Town Council has apologised over a “data breach” in which personal details were mistakenly shared.
The blunder, that happened last week, came after the authority sent out a routine email about upcoming roadworks.
But an oversight meant that names and email addresses of those signed up to a mailing list were visible to all recipients.
After the details of five people were shared, an apology was issued and a council officer asked for the email to be deleted.
The authority, which has its offices in Wetherby Town Hall, reported the incident to the Information Commissioner's Office, which investigates potential infringements data protection regulations. It also promised that “internal action” would be taken.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the authority said: “Earlier today we were notified of a data breach involving the Town Council.
“It happened yesterday morning (10th October) when information about forthcoming roadworks was sent out to people on our mailing list. Unfortunately the 'bcc' facility was not used and this has meant that the personal names and email addresses of five people were visible to all recipients.
“We have contacted everyone involved to apologise for this error and to ask that the e-mail be deleted. We have also sought advice from, and voluntarily reported this to the Information Commissioner's Office.
“We will also be taking internal action and are considering using a proprietary mail distribution service. Please be assured that we continue to take data security and confidentiality very seriously.”
Speaking to the YEP, a spokesperson stressed that the authority “took quick and comprehensive action upon being notified of this data breach which involved only a small number of personal e-mail addresses”, adding that they recognised “no matter how small, it is still serious”.
They said that an internal review would allow council officers to decide how processes can be improved, as well as considering any changes “to avoid this situation recurring in the future”.