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- United Kingdom · Geography does not establish applicable law.
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- Privacy topics
British Airways – €22,046,000 Fine (United Kingdom, 2020)
Privacy enforcement record
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British Airways faced a fine of over 22 million euros due to a serious data breach. Hackers accessed personal information of around 500,000 customers because the airline didn't have strong enough security measures. This case highlights the importance of protecting customer data, especially for businesses that handle sensitive information.
What happened
British Airways was fined for failing to secure personal data, which led to a cyber incident exposing customer information.
Who was affected
Approximately 500,000 customers whose personal data, including payment details, was compromised in the breach.
What the authority found
The Information Commissioner's Office found that British Airways did not implement adequate security measures to protect personal data, violating GDPR requirements.
Why this matters
This ruling emphasizes that companies must prioritize data security to avoid costly penalties. Other businesses should review their security practices to protect customer information.
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In July 2019, the ICO issued a notice of its intention to fine British Airways £183.39M for GDPR infringements which likely involve a breach of Art. 32 GDPR. The proposed fine relates to a cyber incident notified to the ICO by British Airways in September 2018. This incident in part involved user traffic to the British Airways website being diverted to a fraudulent site. Through this false site, customer details were harvested by the attackers. Personal data of approximately 500,000 customers were compromised in this incident, which is believed to have begun in June 2018. The ICO’s investigation has found that a variety of information was compromised by poor security arrangements at the company, including log in, payment card, and travel booking details as well name and address information. In the meantime, the final fine imposed on the airline has been set at £20 million (approximately EUR 22,046,000). The ICO emphasized that when setting the amount of the fine, it also took into account the economic impact of the COVID-19 ('Coronavirus') pandemic on the airline industry.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for British Airways in UK
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Fine Date
16 October 2020
Authority
Information Commissioner's Office
Fine Amount
€22,046,000
Enforcement Tracker ID
ETid-58
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. British Airways - United Kingdom (2020). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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