The Isle of Wight Green Party yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) sent out an email to members calling for their help in the last push before the General Election on 12th December.
Nothing wrong with that you might think, expect for the obvious data protection breach that all the personal email addresses were on display.
Lowthion: “Very sorry this has happened”
Last night OnTheWight got in touch with the Green Party’s candidate, Vix Lowthion, who said,
“I’ve just found out about this myself. I always use a password protected CRM. I’m currently investigating what has happened and will get back to you.
“Very sorry that this has happened. “
Green Party HQ: “Apologise unreservedly”
Later, campaign organiser from Green Party Head Office, Nuri Syed Corser told OnTheWight,
“We’ve investigated what happened. A fraction of our supporters received an email which included addresses other than their own.
“It’s an oversight on our part. We have been in touch with those affected to apologise unreservedly. It’s vital that we protect our supporters’ privacy and treat their personal data with the utmost care.”
OnTheWight understands the incident affected at least 100 members.
Email sent by campaign team
Nuri went on to explain,
“The email wasn’t actually sent by Vix, and it wasn’t her mistake. It was sent out from the party’s mailing system by another member of the campaign team.
“This is the first time we’ve made this kind of mistake – and we’re going to make absolutely sure it’s the last time too. It looks like the normal procedures were not followed properly this time. We will ensure that doesn’t happen again.”
OnTheWight has asked whether the incident has been reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office and will update once we hear back.
ICO report not required
Nuri confirmed this morning that,
“The email was sent to 99 people. We have followed ICO procedures in handling the breach, which involves an assessment of the likelihood and severity of the impact on individuals. A report to the ICO is not required. We have notified the individuals concerned.”
“Astounded and disappointed”
One member who received the email and wishes to remain anonymous told OnTheWight,
“I was astounded and disappointed to see all those email addresses shared, and from someone who has been a candidate for many years and should know better. It doesn’t make Vix Lowthion seem very trustworthy sadly.”
Article edit
11:45 – Comment from Vix Lowthion added. Confirmation from Nuri Syed Corser on number of people affected and report to ICO added.
Image: Kaitlyn Baker under CC BY 2.0
