In a recent decision from the High Court, an application by Payone GmbH (a Worldine SA company) to bypass the detailed assessment process was firmly rejected. What is Detailed Assessment? It’s the formal court process where a party awarded legal costs must provide a full, itemised bill showing what was charged and why. The other […]
Court Rejects Payone Attempt to Avoid Detailed Costs Scrutiny Read More »
Berlin-based fintech Payrails has raised $32 million in Series A funding, marking a major milestone for the startup as it accelerates development of its enterprise-grade payment platform. The investment—among the largest of its kind in Europe’s fintech sector this year—was led by HV Capital’s Growth Fund, with continued backing from EQT Ventures, General Catalyst, and
Full Steam with Payrails: $32M to Scale Payments Read More »
A recent cyber attack has caused significant disruption at Co-op stores across the UK, with some locations unable to process card payments and others facing stock shortages. The Manchester-based retailer confirmed that while most of its 2,300 outlets continue to operate as normal, a number of branches have had to switch to cash-only transactions due
Cyber Attack Disrupts Co-op Stores: Card Payments and Stock Levels Affected Read More »
Global sportswear powerhouse PUMA is gearing up to make a bold statement in the heart of London, with the launch of its first-ever European flagship store set for Autumn 2025. Situated on Oxford Street—one of Europe’s busiest retail destinations—the expansive 24,000-square-foot space will be a showcase of sport, fashion, and digital innovation. Just steps away
PUMA Pounces on Oxford Street with First European Flagship Read More »
Mollie has confirmed a partnership with payments infrastructure provider Ivy to support the launch of its Pay by Bank service. The agreement enables Mollie to offer real-time account-to-account (A2A) payment capabilities to its merchants across Europe. Through this arrangement, Mollie will use Ivy’s API-based technology to process direct bank transfers and refunds. The integration is
Banking on Speed: Mollie and Ivy Connect the Dots in Real-Time Payments Read More »
The Financial Conduct Authority (UK) is undertaking a comprehensive review of the current framework governing tap-to-pay transactions, considering potential reforms that range from increasing the established £100 limit to the more transformative option of eliminating transaction ceilings altogether. This initiative forms part of a broader regulatory adjustment designed to modernise the UK’s payment systems, promote
FCA Reviewing Contactless Limits – Security vs. Convenience Read More »
The UK’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has placed Visa and Mastercard under scrutiny for their dominant market position and sharp increases in transaction fees, which are costing British businesses an estimated £170 million per year. This move comes as concerns grow over a lack of competition and transparency in the card payments market. Visa and
UK Regulator Targets Visa and Mastercard Over Rising Card Fees Read More »
Israeli fintech Nayax has announced the acquisition of UPPay, a Brazil-based payment and telemetry solutions provider for unattended retail and vending industries. This strategic move strengthens Nayax’s presence in Latin America and accelerates its expansion in the region’s self-service market. Strategic Acquisition for Market Growth The deal, valued at approximately $5.3 million (BRL 32.75 million),
Nayax Expands Latin American Footprint with UPPay Acquisition Read More »
Newcastle-based fintech firm, Kani Payments, has announced a significant multi-million-pound investment led by Maven Capital Partners. This funding aims to drive the company’s international growth and enhance its cutting-edge Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, which simplifies complex payment reconciliation processes. Kani Payments is a fintech innovator dedicated to simplifying payment reconciliation and compliance. With deep industry expertise,
From Newcastle to the World – Kani Payments Powers Up with Strategic Investment Read More »
HEYTEA, the pioneer of China’s modern tea culture and the original creator of cheese tea, has announced a strategic collaboration with Adyen, a global leader in payment solutions. This partnership is set to propel HEYTEA’s international expansion, allowing the tea brand to introduce its signature beverages to a broader audience in the United States, United
Adyen Supports HEYTEA’s Ambitious Global Growth Strategy Read More »
We use cookies to improve user experience and analyse website traffic. By clicking ‘Accept’, you agree to our website’s cookie use as described in our Privacy Policy.
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.
Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
