The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published new guidance on sending bulk communications by email following a series of incidents caused by the incorrect use of the blind carbon copy (BCC) email function. The guidance highlights that even if email content doesn’t contain anything sensitive, showing which people receive an email could disclose sensitive or confidential information about them. The guidance also recommends using secure methods such as bulk email services or mail merge services rather than relying on a BCC process.
Mihaela Jembei, ICO Director of Regulatory Cyber, said: "Failure to use BCC correctly in emails is one of the top data breaches reported to us every year – and these breaches can cause real harm, especially where sensitive personal information is involved... This new guidance is part of our commitment to help organisations get email security right. However, where we see negligent behaviour that puts people at risk of harm, we will not hesitate to use the full suite of enforcement tools available to us."
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