Janakkala parish accidentally emailed private details to over 1,200 people

Janakkala Parish in Finland mistakenly sent an email containing private information to more than 1,200 people on Thursday, Yle reported.

The email included a person’s name and information that they had received an exemption from paying a fee for a parish event.

Parish vicar Miikka Anttila said the incident was an isolated case and that the parish responded immediately.

“This was extremely embarrassing, and it should not happen. Data breaches are a serious matter,” Anttila said.

The parish noticed the error shortly after sending the email. Anttila said he also contacted the person concerned. The parish said no information about other people was disclosed to outsiders.

Janakkala Parish is investigating the incident and has reported it to the Data Protection Ombudsman. It also said it had taken measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The incident was first reported by Janakkalan Sanomat.