25 June 2024

Global Payments Expands UK Presence with Takepayments Acquisition

Leave a Comment / Fintech, Payments, Retail /

Global Payments, a prominent player in the US payment technology sector, has made a strategic move by acquiring Takepayments, a UK-based provider of card payment solutions, in a transaction whose financial details were not disclosed. The acquisition, finalized according to a Companies House filing, underscores Global Payments’ commitment to bolstering its footprint in the UK’s […]

Global Payments Expands UK Presence with Takepayments Acquisition Read More »

Klarna’s $520 Million Sale Marks Strategic Pivot in Fintech Landscape

Leave a Comment / Digital, Fintech, Payments, Retail /

Klarna, the Swedish fintech giant, has recently announced the sale of its online checkout business, Klarna Checkout (KCO), to a consortium of investors led by Kamjar Hajabdolahi, CEO and Founding Partner of BLQ Invest, for approximately €485 million ($520 million). This strategic move marks Klarna’s departure from direct competition with major payment service providers (PSPs)

Klarna’s $520 Million Sale Marks Strategic Pivot in Fintech Landscape Read More »

Peak Performance Arrives in Covent Garden – A Sneak Peek at the Scandinavian Brand

Leave a Comment / Retail /

The UK outdoor apparel market is about to welcome a new player as Scandinavian brand Peak Performance prepares to open its first British store in the heart of London’s Covent Garden. Following in the footsteps of its sibling brand Arc’teryx, both owned by Amer Sports, this launch marks a strategic move in Peak Performance’s global

Peak Performance Arrives in Covent Garden – A Sneak Peek at the Scandinavian Brand Read More »

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GAME Over? Not Yet: UK’s Largest Game Retailer Denies Halting Physical Game Sales

Leave a Comment / Retail /

In a move that sparked widespread speculation and nostalgia, reports emerged this morning claiming that GAME, the UK’s largest video game retailer, was planning to cease the sale of physical games and hardware in its stores. However, GAME swiftly countered these claims, assuring gamers that the era of physical game purchases is far from over.

GAME Over? Not Yet: UK’s Largest Game Retailer Denies Halting Physical Game Sales Read More »

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Post-Brexit: data protection
Card processor sends sensitive data to wrong address
24 August 2022

Worldline SA subsidiary Payone GmbH has been accused of breaching data protection rules after it sent sensitive employee payroll information to the wrong address by accident. The Worldline Group holdS a 60% stake in the Frankfurt based company who have a small UK market presence.

In June 2021, one of Payone GmbH’s ex UK employees (the data subject) received a “potential data breach notification” from the firm advising him that his salary, National Insurance data, nationality (Special Category Data) was amongst various bits of information sent to an incorrect home address.

This included personal information such as the former employees name, age and address.  It also included details such as the date of birth and the amount of annual work bonus he received in his bank account amongst other identifiable data.

Payone GmbH confirmed that this document was sent out in error following an employee making a mistake when re-entering data processed by their third-party payroll provider.  The error arose when the employee was fulfilling an Article 15 GDPR request. The error was spotted by the data subject when he noticed in an email version of the document that the postal address was incorrect. An attempt to notify Payone GmbH of the error went in vain as the document was already irretrievably despatched.

The data subject was alarmed with the incident which exposed him to the possibility of fraudulent activity, amidst reasonable fears his data could end up on the dark web and used by criminals.  Habitually resident in the UK he complained to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in June 2021. He similarly raised the concern in Germany via The Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HBDI).

The ICO reprimanded Payone GmbH for the error in their final decision letter.
Similarly, the HBDI cited a violation of Article 5(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) relating to integrity and confidentiality.

The ICO stated in their July 2021 findings that Payone GmbH, “should take steps to ensure that all personal data records are accurate and up to date. Holding inaccurate information, such as addresses, does increase the risk of personal data breaches and poses risks to the security of information”.

The HBDI confirmed in their October 2021 findings that Payone GmbH had taken remedial action. They concluded that a monetary fine would not be imposed on Payone GmbH as they had taken technical and organisational steps in response to the data breach. Data subjects could now request their data in an autonomous portal.

The GDPR, which came into effect in 2018, gave the Information Commissioner’s Office greater powers to tackle data breaches. The new ‘UK GDPR’ charts its own course after Brexit whilst seeking to maintain EU GDPR adequacy.  In extreme scenarios, organisations face penalties of up to £20m or 4 per cent of their global worldwide turnover, whichever is more.

In the years prior to GDPR, the ICO fines were capped at £500,000.

The data subject said: “I am just glad I spotted it; they were going to resend the document again to another wrong address. Prior to Brexit the process would have been commenced via the ICO who in turn would liaise with the HBDI on the data subjects’ behalf; but I found myself communicating with both authorities separately which was an additional step but in the end was surprisingly
effective. Unfortunately, Payone GmbH again sent my incorrect address to the
Workers Pension Trust in January 2022, and documents yet again went to the wrong address. In my opinion they have not learned from the first time and my complaint is sitting with the ICO yet again”.

The former employee is pursuing a remedy under Article 82 UK GDPR via
the Court’s of England & Wales.

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