Daily Mail faces data privacy probe

The Daily Mail, which seems to stop at nothing to get the knife into the direct marketing industry, has found itself under investigation by the data watchdog after a potential privacy breach on its website, Mail Online.
The Associated Newspapers-owned publication has reportedly leaked user data after a technical glitch appeared to sign its online readers in as the wrong person.
On Tuesday, users complained that when they logged in to Mail Online, they were recognised as a different person, giving them someone else’s name, date of birth and email address.
Mail Online senior communities editor Tessa Meneux has admitted that a technical issue with the user profile and login service resulted in a bug with the display of user profiles.
“When viewing their profile page, users were presented with a copy of another user’s profile page instead of their own. The issue is now resolved,” Meneux stressed. “We take your privacy very seriously and we would like to reassure you that we have undertaken several rigorous tests to ensure that your data is secure.
“Other users were never able to see your password or other encrypted data, post comments on your behalf or make any changes to your profile,” she claimed.
But the move has sparked a probe by the Information Commissioner’s Office. A spokesman said: “We have recently been made aware of a possible data breach which may involve the Daily Mail website. We will be making enquiries into the circumstances of the alleged breach of the Data Protection Act before deciding what action, if any, needs to be taken.”
The Daily Mail’s moral outrage against the direct marketing industry is well documented – from “the junk mail scourge” to claims Princess Kate’s family business “exploits customer data” – despite the fact that it is a major user of the discipline, and offers its own reader data to third-party advertisers.

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