Email: One character error in address
Leading City law firm Kennedys has apologised unreservedly after accidentally disclosing the email addresses of people registered to receive updates on the Church of England redress scheme.
The Church said it was “profoundly concerned” by the incident.
Kennedys was appointed 18 months ago as the independent administrator of the scheme, which is for survivors of Church-related abuse. It is not yet open for applications
The law firm admitted that, on Tuesday evening, it sent a message to 194 individuals and law firms who had registered to receive updates on the scheme.
“Due to human error, the email displayed the email addresses making them visible to all recipients. No further personal details of individuals were shared. Attempts to recall the message were only partially successful…
“Kennedys is deeply sorry for the hurt and concern caused to everyone affected by this significant error and accepts full responsibility…
“We understand the significant impact this will have on those affected for which we apologise unreservedly.”
Kennedys said it has contacted everyone who received the message and reported the incident to the Charity Commission, the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Solicitors Regulatory Authority, as well as launching an internal investigation.
“We remain committed to supporting victims and survivors of Church of England-related abuse to secure the financial redress, therapeutic, spiritual and emotional support, acknowledgement of wrongdoing on the part of the Church, apology and other forms of bespoke redress under this scheme.”
The Church of England said it was “profoundly concerned” by the incident. “We recognise the distress this has caused, particularly for survivors who trusted the scheme to handle their information with care and confidentiality…
“We are in discussions with Kennedys to understand how this breach occurred and to ensure robust steps are taken to prevent anything similar from happening again. Kennedys has taken full responsibility for the incident.”
The Church statement concluded by saying “this should not have happened”, continuing: “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and support efforts to restore trust and confidence.”