British Airways will face record fines for data breaches over 2018 hack

The British data regulator recently announced that it plans to impose a fine of £183.39 million on British Airways, due to data breaches last year. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said that the credit card information, name, address, travel reservation information and login information of about 500,000 customers were leaked because of the poor security work of the airline.

“British airways 747”by jonno101101 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

According to the Engadget report, this will be the highest fine ever issued by ICO, far higher than the £500,000 ticket for the Cambridge Analytica scandal. British Airways will have 28 days to appeal the fine and will then greet the final decision.

Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said “People’s personal data is just that — personal. When an organization fails to protect it from loss, damage or theft it is more than an inconvenience. That’s why the law is clear — when you are entrusted with personal data you must look after it.”

In response to the news, British Airways Chairman and CEO Alex Cruz said: “We are surprised and disappointed in this initial finding from the ICO. British Airways responded quickly to a criminal act to steal customers’ data. We have found no evidence of fraud/fraudulent activity on accounts linked to the theft. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this event caused.“