UK Data Protection Review for January 2013

ICO fines Sony £250,000 after millions of UK gamers personal details are compromised

• Sony PlayStation Network Platform made international headlines when it was hacked in April 2011, compromising the personal information of millions of UK customers, including their names, addresses, email addresses, dates of birth and account passwords. Customers’ payment card details were also at risk. 
• An ICO investigation found that the attack could have been prevented if the software had been up-to-date, while technical developments also meant passwords were not secure 

• ICO commented 
• “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” 
• “There’s no disguising that this is a business that should have known better” 
• “The penalty issued clearly substantial, but we make no apologies for that. It directly affected a huge number of consumers, and at the very least put them at risk of identity theft.”