Personal Details of 38,000 Participants London Marathon Hacked

Personal Details of 38,000 Participants London Marathon Hacked

Personal details including postal address, email-id and so on of more than 38,000 participants in Sunday's London Marathon accidentally get exposed. Among those there are few high-profile celebrities and politicians who had their personal details made public in the data protection breach. The details were accessible all day to anybody logging on to the site. Include celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, Shadow chancellor Ed Balls, pop singer Will Young, newsreader Sophie Raworth, and stars of TV shows such as Coronation Street and The Only Way is Essex. 

Nick Bitel, chief executive of the London Marathon, apologized for the security lapse, and said that action was taken immediately to correct the problem. "We do not believe that this has led to a substantial number of individuals' details being accessed by members of the public," Bitel told. 

The Data Protection Act states that appropriate measures must be taken against accidental loss of personal data. Under the act any breaches could be considered either a civil or criminal offence depending on the circumstances, the Information Commissioner's spokesman said.