Dixons Carphone chief to treble data security budget

Dixons Carphone chief executive Alex Baldock has pledged to treble the group’s data security budget and insisted it is up to him to clear up the mess caused by the recent data breach, which saw the personal details of millions of customers compromised.
Baldock joined the embattled owner of Currys and PC World 80 days ago – after the data breach had occurred – and recently criticised the failings of the previous management led by Seb James.
Speaking at the group’s results announcement, he said: “We’ve fallen very short here. I’m responsible, I’m the one who needs to sort this out. This isn’t about blaming any individual.”
Pre-tax profits fell 24% to £382m for the year to April 28, while revenues nudged up 3% to £10.5bn, due to strong sales in Greece and the Nordic region.
The chief executive said the company has also launched an internal investigation. The blunder, affecting 5.9 million cards and 1.2 million records that held emails and addresses, was discovered on the back of a review that Baldock kicked off when he joined.
The Information Commissioner’s Office is still investigating whether the company will face action under GDPR or the 1998 UK Data Portection Act.
This could make the difference between a maximum £500,000 under the DPA or a maximum £17m fine under GDPR.