Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Eleni Courea Political correspondent

Online security lapses led to data of 40m UK voters being hacked, says ICO

A sign outside a polling station in central Westminster, London
The data breach occurred in August 2021 but was not identified until October 2022. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

The UK’s election watchdog has been reprimanded over online security lapses that allowed the personal information of 40 million voters to be hacked.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said the Electoral Commission had not kept its servers up to date with the latest security updates before the data breach, which occurred in August 2021 but was not identified until October 2022.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.