The UK Post Office has struck an agreement to provide compensations to hundreds of former sub-postmasters after it leaked their names and addresses on its corporate website. In total, 555 victims of the Horizon IT scandal had their personal details published in the data breach, which was revealed in June last year, prompting the Post […]
The UK Post Office has struck an agreement to provide compensations to hundreds of former sub-postmasters after it leaked their names and addresses on its corporate website.
In total, 555 victims of the Horizon IT scandal had their personal details published in the data breach, which was revealed in June last year, prompting the Post Office to apologise.
The troubled organisation referred itself to data watchdog the Information Commissioners Office after sharing a document on its website that included details of former sub-postmasters caught up in the IT dispute.
The Post Office confirmed it will pay individuals up to £5,000 in compensation, though this figure could rise should the victims choose to pursue any further claims. This payment is separate to the ongoing dispute over compensation for the Horizon scandal.
Former sub-postmaster Chris Head welcomed the Post Office admitting the data breach mistake, but said they took “far too long to right this wrong”.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: “We cannot underestimate the level of pain, anxiety, stress and worry that so many people have had to suffer through this new episode. Post Office did not seem to understand how much this impacted those people. They appeared unwilling to engage in genuine discussions until further action was on the table.
“The impact on myself and my family has been profound on top of an already traumatic past 10 years due to the Horizon scandal.”
It is the latest controversy to hit the Post Office, which is still dealing with the fallout from the sub-postmaster’s dispute, which was highlighted during the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
It was recently revealed that the Post Office had paid more than £600 million of public money to continue using the faulty Horizon system due to terms in the original deal with vendor Fujitsu. The breakdown of the system led to hundreds of sub postmasters being unfairly accused of stealing from the Post Office, with several convicted.
