The UK’s Department for Education (DFE) has been reprimanded by the Information Commissioner following an investigation that revealed that betting firms were allowed to use personal information of up to 28 million children.
According to the Information Commissioner, the data breach is one of the largest in the history of the UK government and included personal information and exam results. Betting firms used this data to increase the number of young people gambling.
Commissioner John Edwards noted that had the breach been caused by a company in the private sector, he would have issued a fine of at least £10 million for such a ‘serious breach of the law’.
Edwards said:
Gambling Firms Access Information of 28 Million Children in Major UK Government Data Breach Gambling Firms Access Information of 28 Million Children in Major UK Government Data BreachThis was a serious breach of the law, and one that would have warranted a £10 million fine in this specific case. I have taken the decision not to issue that fine, as any money paid in fines is returned to government, and so the impact would have been minimal. But that should not detract from how serious the errors we have highlighted were, nor how urgently they needed addressing by the Department for Education.”
Gambling Firms Access Information of 28 Million Children in Major UK Government Data Breach Gambling Firms Access Information of 28 Million Children in Major UK Government Data Breach
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.