British Airways faces £183m data breach fine

Britain’s data regulator said on Monday it wants to fine British Airways £183 million over a data breach that compromised information on half a million customers — the biggest fine to date under new, tougher data regulations.

The airline revealed in September that it had been the victim of a hack. The scam saw customers diverted to a fake website where credit card details were harvested by the attackers.

“People’s personal data is just that — personal. When an organisation fails to protect it from loss, damage or theft it is more than an inconvenience,” information commissioner Elizabeth Denham said.