Manchester United is embroiled in a legal battle, facing claims for compensation up to £100,000, following a significant data breach where 167 employees inadvertently received an email containing the payroll information of their colleagues. The incident, which occurred on March 9, 2018, involved the distribution of sensitive data such as names, addresses, National Insurance numbers, earnings, pension benefits, and tax contributions through a mistakenly shared file. The recipients, primarily casual workers in catering, hospitality, museum and stadium tour guidance, and program selling, were exposed to each other’s confidential payroll details due to an error attributed to the trial of a new system without adequate supervisory oversight.
This breach has raised serious data protection concerns, with affected workers fearing the potential misuse of their personal information for financial fraud. Legal representatives from Your Lawyers, advocating for 32 of the claimants, have emphasized the need for accountability from the club’s ownership, citing the severe implications of such a lapse in data security.
In response to the breach, Manchester United expressed regret over the incident, underscoring their commitment to employee data privacy and the measures implemented to prevent future occurrences. The incident was reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which recommended improvements but did not take further action.
