Payments

Square Roots – Growing Your Restaurant Business with Square’s Seamless Solutions and Deep Insights

In today’s rapidly evolving restaurant landscape, where every moment counts and customer satisfaction is paramount, operational efficiency is the cornerstone of success. Square emerges as a pivotal player in this dynamic industry, offering a comprehensive Point of Sale (POS) system tailored specifically for restaurants. This innovative solution is designed to streamline operations and elevate the […]

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Agreement with Leading Nordic Technology Company to Benefit Merchants Across Europe

In a landmark partnership, Elavon, a global acquirer and payments leader, has joined forces with Copenhagen-based Softpay to introduce a revolutionary SoftPOS payment solution. This collaboration aims to empower merchants across Europe by enabling them to accept card payments using just their smartphones, eliminating the need for additional hardware. The innovative SoftPOS technology transforms any

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Mastercard Implements Reduction in U.S. Interchange Rates to Support Small Businesses and Merchants

In a bid to foster a more equitable landscape for small businesses and the wider merchant community, Mastercard (NYSE: MA) has embarked on an initiative to lower its U.S. credit card interchange rates over a five-year term, following a legal settlement with merchants. The agreement, reached in conjunction with Visa and court-appointed class counsel, encompasses

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Fiserv Secures Coveted Spot as Fortune’s Most Innovative Company for Second Year Running, Celebrating Groundbreaking Contributions to Financial Technology Sector

Fiserv, Inc., a globally recognized leader in payments and financial technology solutions, has been honored once again as one of Fortune America’s Most Innovative Companies, marking the company’s second consecutive year receiving this prestigious recognition. This distinction underscores Fiserv’s relentless commitment to driving innovation within the financial services industry and beyond. Frank Bisignano, Fiserv’s esteemed

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Small Retailers, Expect Nothing Less from Your Payment Provider

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can expect reporting portals provided by payment gateways to offer a range of functionality tailored to their specific needs and preferences. These reporting portals serve as centralized hubs where businesses can access, analyze, and manage transaction data in real-time, enabling them to gain valuable insights into their financial performance and

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Unlocking the Mysteries of Card Scheme Fees: A Journey Through the World of Payment Networks

In the bustling world of financial transactions, there exists a vital yet often mysterious element known as card scheme fees. Much like the gears of a well-oiled machine, these fees play a crucial role in powering the seamless flow of payments across vast networks of banks, merchants, and consumers. But what exactly are card scheme

Unlocking the Mysteries of Card Scheme Fees: A Journey Through the World of Payment Networks 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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