UPDATE: 3 releases 80,000 names and addresses on its website
Mobile phone network 3 is in trouble today after an enterprising chap called ‘Dan’ (no relation to our Dan) stumbled across 79,035 names and addresses on their website. 3 rapidly took the list down.
Names and addresses aren’t exactly confidential – they’re available in the phone book – but most curiously of all, 3 claims that less than five percent of the info comes from 3 customers. That raises the rather thorny question of who the hell the rest of them are.
Any ideas? Drop us a tweet at @techdigest with your suggestions as to who these people might be.
UPDATED: Official word has come through from 3 that the names and addresses accidentally published on the site were not 3 customers but instead marketing data bought from another company where all of the names and addresses were of people who had opted into the research.
A spokesperson said:
“The data in question did not contain information on 3 customers. It was
marketing data which we purchased from a third party supplier containing
only names and addresses of individuals who had opted into receiving
marketing information. No financial details were included. We can confirm
this file was removed immediately after it was brought to our attention. We
are now investigating how the data became accessible. We take any issue
regarding data protection extremely seriously and are reviewing our
processes.”
(via cnet)
