Porn leak law firm ACS:Law could face hefty fine

Published on Tuesday 28 September 2010 14:37

The legal firm behind a leak of the personal details of more than 5,000 broadband customers accused of illegally sharing adult films online could be fined up to £500,000, the Information Commissioner said today.

The list, produced by ACS:Law, which is targeting online pirates, was posted on the internet following an attack on the firm's website.

It contained the names and addresses of more than 5,300 Sky broadband customers alleged to be illegally sharing adult films online.

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham told BBC Breakfast: "The question we will be asking is how secure was this information and how it was so easily accessed from outside.

"We'll be asking about the adequacy of encryption, the firewall, the training of staff and why that information was so public facing.

"The Information Commissioner has significant power to take action and I can levy fines of up to half a million pounds on companies that flout the (Data Protection Act)."

A spokesman for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) added that all breaches of the Act were taken "very seriously".

"Any organisation processing personal data must ensure that it is kept safe and secure. This is an important principle of the Act.

"The ICO will be contacting ACS:Law to establish further facts of the case and to identify what action, if any, needs to be taken."

Andrew Crossley, who runs ACS:Law, told BBC News: "We were the subject of a criminal attack to our systems. The business has and remains intact and is continuing to trade."