Cardiff Council admits responsibility for data breach that led to parents' email addresses being leaked
Cardiff Council admits responsibility for data breach that led to parents' email addresses being leaked
The data breach, which was caused by a human error, led to parents' email addresses being leaked
Cardiff Council admitted responsibility for a data breach that led to email addresses being leaked
(Image: PA )
Cardiff Council admitted responsibility for a data breach that led to the email addresses of parents being leaked. Parents in Cardiff who are eligible for Childcare Offer for Wales funding received an email from the council in May ahead of the summer half term.
The local authority said that an error caused all recipients of the email to be copied into the 'to' field instead of the 'bcc' (blind carbon copy) field. Later that same day a follow-up email was sent to all the recipients to apologise for the error and to ask them to delete the original email.
A Cardiff Council spokesman said: "Cardiff Council is aware that a data breach occurred on May 15 this year.
"The breach resulted from human error and Cardiff Council's reporting procedures were followed promptly and appropriately in line with data protection protocols.
"Cardiff Council remains committed to continuous improvement in data handling practices and staff awareness to prevent recurrence."
The Childcare Offer for Wales aims to help parents with childcare costs and eligible parents can claim up to 30 hours of early education and childcare a week for up to 48 weeks a year.
Article continues below
Local authorities in Wales are responsible for implementing the scheme in their areas. For more Cardiff stories, sign up to our newsletters here.
Cardiff Council's recall email to recipients following the data breach on May 15 was sent out at 4.33pm.
It read: "You will have received an email... on 15/05/2025 at 10:05am titled 'Childcare Offer Funding: Holiday Periods | Cyllid Cynnig Gofal Plant: Cynodau Gwyliau'.
"The content of this email, which includes information on setting up an online funding agreement, is provided below.
"We kindly request that you delete the original email due to an error that caused all recipients to be copied into the TO field instead of the Bcc field.
"We sincerely apologise for this mistake and have taken measures to prevent such breaches in the future."
A separate data breach involving Cardiff Council, which saw the details of vulnerable children the local authority looks after being compromised, was reported on in March. Read more about that here.
Members of the council's governance and audit committee were told about the data breach by a council official at a meeting on Tuesday, March 25.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that the information was taken in a breach that affected Data Cymru.
Article continues below
At the time Data Cymru was asked for the type of data that was compromised, when the breach occurred, and what was done to resolve the issue.
Cardiff Council was also given an opportunity to respond.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Starmer welcomes release of Belarusian opposition leader's husband
Siarhei Tsikhanouski, the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, was jailed in 2020 after announcing plans to challenge Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Prime Minister said his release was a reminder that 'democratic values cannot be silenced'. This is wonderful news and a moment of hope. The release of Siarhei Tsikhanouski is a reminder that democratic values cannot be silenced. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 21, 2025 The release of Mr Tsikhanouski and 13 other prisoners came just hours after the Belarusian authorities announced that the country's authoritarian president had met US President Donald Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk. Mr Tsikhanouski was imprisoned after announcing plans to challenge Mr Lukashenko in the 2020 election. Following his arrest, his wife ran instead, rallying large crowds in her support across the country. Sir Keir Starmer with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in 2022 (Stefan Rousseau/PA) In response to his release, Sir Keir said: 'This is wonderful news and a moment of hope. 'The release of Siarhei Tsikhanouski is a reminder that democratic values cannot be silenced.'
South Wales Argus
2 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Starmer welcomes release of Belarusian opposition leader's husband
Siarhei Tsikhanouski, the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, was jailed in 2020 after announcing plans to challenge Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Prime Minister said his release was a reminder that 'democratic values cannot be silenced'. This is wonderful news and a moment of hope. The release of Siarhei Tsikhanouski is a reminder that democratic values cannot be silenced. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 21, 2025 The release of Mr Tsikhanouski and 13 other prisoners came just hours after the Belarusian authorities announced that the country's authoritarian president had met US President Donald Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk. Mr Tsikhanouski was imprisoned after announcing plans to challenge Mr Lukashenko in the 2020 election. Following his arrest, his wife ran instead, rallying large crowds in her support across the country. Sir Keir Starmer with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in 2022 (Stefan Rousseau/PA) In response to his release, Sir Keir said: 'This is wonderful news and a moment of hope. 'The release of Siarhei Tsikhanouski is a reminder that democratic values cannot be silenced.'
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Starmer welcomes release of Belarusian opposition leader's husband
The Prime Minister said his release was a reminder that 'democratic values cannot be silenced'. This is wonderful news and a moment of hope. The release of Siarhei Tsikhanouski is a reminder that democratic values cannot be silenced. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 21, 2025 The release of Mr Tsikhanouski and 13 other prisoners came just hours after the Belarusian authorities announced that the country's authoritarian president had met US President Donald Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk. Mr Tsikhanouski was imprisoned after announcing plans to challenge Mr Lukashenko in the 2020 election. Following his arrest, his wife ran instead, rallying large crowds in her support across the country. Sir Keir Starmer with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in 2022 (Stefan Rousseau/PA) In response to his release, Sir Keir said: 'This is wonderful news and a moment of hope. 'The release of Siarhei Tsikhanouski is a reminder that democratic values cannot be silenced.'
