Personal data of Finnish MPs leaked on dark web from dating sites and other platforms

Nearly half of Finland’s members of parliament have had personal information exposed on the dark web, according to a study commissioned by Swiss technology firm Proton and reported by Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

The leaked data includes home addresses and passwords, originating from breaches where MPs used their parliamentary email accounts to register with third-party services. Affected platforms include professional networking site LinkedIn, dating websites, messaging service X (formerly Twitter), and genealogy service MyHeritage. LinkedIn accounted for the majority of exposed credentials, with 68 politicians found to have used their parliamentary emails on the platform.

Eamonn Maguire, Proton’s head of account security, criticised the practice as “poor cyber hygiene,” noting that eduskunta.fi email addresses are prime targets for cybercriminals.

Ari Apilo, the Finnish Parliament’s IT director, confirmed that MPs and staff have been advised to use separate passwords for different services and avoid parliamentary emails for personal matters. He stressed that the breaches do not compromise the Parliament’s internal security, as additional authentication methods are in place. Frequently updated passwords further mitigate risks, he added.

Cybersecurity expert Benjamin Särkkä described the findings as “standard practice,” explaining that reused credentials from breached services often end up for sale on dark web marketplaces. Proton has notified all affected politicians and urged them to update login details across relevant platforms.