‘Woeful’ DfE blamed as betting firms gain access to children’s data

The information database held details of up to 28 million students. Photograph: Astrakan Images/Alamy

The Department for Education (DfE) has been found responsible for an “unacceptable” breach of data protection laws over betting firms using children’s information on a student database for age-verification checks.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said there was “prolonged misuse” of pupil information on a database that holds the details of up to 28 million students. The department failed to prevent “unauthorised access to children’s data” from September 2018 to January 2020. The UK information commissioner, John Edwards, said: “A database of pupils’ learning records being used to help gambling companies is unacceptable. Our investigation found that the processes put in place by the DfE were woeful.”