Sex abuse victim's details could be among hundreds revealed by data breach

14 July 2023 , 19:34

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The data breach at London Mayor Sadiq Khan's office is under investigation (Image: PA)

A sex abuse survivor is one of "around 400" victims of a "chilling" data breach, it tonight has emerged.

The London Mayor's Office blunder, currently under investigation, involves complaints about policing in the capital being made wrongly accessible via an official website. The survivor of sexual abuse has described her distress tonight.

The probe centres on the London Mayor's Office online forms which were hosted by the Greater London Authority's website.

The woman, who can't be named for legal reasons, said: "It's chilling to think what might have happened and an appalling situation."

City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority

The data was accessible for a four-month period, reports Sky News tonight.

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A spokesperson for the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime said: ""A manual error made it technically possible for visitors to temporarily access the content submitted on the two online forms between November 2022 and February 2023.

"There is no evidence that any of this information was accessed by anyone with malicious intent or that it has been misused."

A spokesperson for the Greater London Authority (GLA) said: "A full and thorough investigation has taken place following the identification of a data security issue.

"The GLA sincerely regret any concern this incident may cause and want to reassure all members of the public that the GLA website www.London.gov.uk is secure and that the GLA and MOPAC take the protection of all personal data extremely seriously."

A spokesperson for London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Clearly this incident should never have happened, which is why a full and thorough investigation was launched, supported by independent experts.

"City Hall is offering support to anyone who may have been impacted and is doing everything it can to ensure that this issue, which was caused by a manual error, cannot happen again."

Bradley Jolly