Digital

Lightspeed Commerce Explores Strategic Options Amidst Shifting POS Landscape

Lightspeed Commerce, a prominent provider of cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) solutions for the retail and hospitality sectors, has recently announced it is conducting a strategic review, fueling speculation about a potential sale. This move comes at a time of significant flux in the POS and payments landscape, with POS systems evolving into vital tools for businesses […]

Lightspeed Commerce Explores Strategic Options Amidst Shifting POS Landscape Read More »

How Will the CFPB’s Rule 1033 Impact Retailers Outside the U.S.?

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposed rule 1033 on consumer financial data rights, is set to reshape the landscape of open banking in the United States. While the rule’s primary focus is on empowering American consumers with greater control over their financial data, its implications extend to businesses worldwide, particularly those engaged in e-commerce and

How Will the CFPB’s Rule 1033 Impact Retailers Outside the U.S.? Read More »

How Tokenisation is Transforming Payment Security in the Digital Age

In an era where digital transactions are ubiquitous, the security of sensitive payment information has become paramount. With phishing schemes, compromised Wi-Fi networks, and various data breaches exposing millions of payment card numbers, cybercriminals can acquire stolen card data at minimal costs and exploit it for significant financial gains. Such breaches result in substantial losses

How Tokenisation is Transforming Payment Security in the Digital Age Read More »

The End of Opaque Billing? The AI Case for Transparent Payment Processing

The world of payment processing is notoriously complex and often shrouded in opacity, leaving many merchants struggling to understand their true costs. As outlined in Dale Laszig’s recent article in Practical Commerce, the advent of AI-powered tools like Fee Navigator and Staitment offers a promising solution by unraveling the intricacies of credit card processing statements

The End of Opaque Billing? The AI Case for Transparent Payment Processing Read More »

Flutterwave Expands into Uganda with New Payment Systems Operator License

Flutterwave, a leading African fintech company, has taken another significant step in its pan-African expansion by securing a Payment Systems Operator (PSO) license from the Bank of Uganda. This new license marks the company’s entry into Uganda, following recent similar approvals in Ghana and Mozambique, further cementing Flutterwave’s presence across the continent. Flutterwave is an

Flutterwave Expands into Uganda with New Payment Systems Operator License Read More »

Adyen Reports Steady Growth in H1 2024, Driven by Omnichannel Commerce and Global Expansion

Adyen, the Amsterdam-based payments company, reported its financial results for the first half of 2024, showing solid growth across key metrics amid ongoing global economic challenges. The company’s net revenue increased by 24% year-on-year to €913.4 million, supported by the expansion of its omnichannel commerce offerings and continued market penetration. In its latest communication to

Adyen Reports Steady Growth in H1 2024, Driven by Omnichannel Commerce and Global Expansion Read More »

What is Quishing? The Parking Payment Nightmare

The convenience of digital payments has ushered in a new era of speed and efficiency, but it has also opened the door to cybercrime. The latest manifestation of this trend is the insidious practice of “quishing,” a term coined to describe the use of fraudulent QR codes to deceive unsuspecting motorists into divulging sensitive financial

What is Quishing? The Parking Payment Nightmare Read More »

Trustly Expands UK Presence Amid Rising Adoption of Open Banking

Trustly, a global leader in open banking payments, is further expanding its presence in the UK, strengthening partnerships as the adoption of open banking technology and payment volumes continue to rise. Since its founding in 2008, Trustly has developed a range of payment products and data solutions aimed at making online payments fast, secure, and

Trustly Expands UK Presence Amid Rising Adoption of Open Banking Read More »

eBay to Discontinue American Express Payments NEXT WEEK! Amid Fee Dispute

eBay, the renowned global e-commerce platform, is on the cusp of a major shift in its payment landscape. Starting next week, on August 17th, American Express credit cards will no longer be accepted as a valid payment method on the platform. This strategic move by eBay underscores the company’s ongoing efforts to streamline its payment

eBay to Discontinue American Express Payments NEXT WEEK! Amid Fee Dispute Read More »

Ampere Neobank Partners with Mastercard to Enhance Financial Solutions for SMEs

Ampere, the innovative neobank dedicated to providing comprehensive financial services for SMEs, has announced a strategic partnership with Mastercard aimed at enhancing its service offerings and streamlining financial solutions. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in Ampere’s mission to simplify financial processes for small and medium-sized enterprises. With this new partnership, Ampere is revolutionizing

Ampere Neobank Partners with Mastercard to Enhance Financial Solutions for SMEs 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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