Church of England data breach exposes identities of nearly 200 abuse survivors

The personal details of nearly 200 survivors of abuse within the Church of England were mistakenly shared in a data breach linked to a compensation program, a victims’ group and officials confirmed Wednesday.

The breach occurred late Tuesday when an email containing the names of 194 survivors was sent to individuals registered for the Church’s independent redress scheme, along with law firms and church officials. The message, issued by Kennedys Law, the firm managing the compensation program, was recalled minutes later. Victims’ advocacy group The House of Survivors said the incident highlighted “the very failures of safeguarding and care that the redress scheme was meant to address.”

The disclosure represents another setback for the Church, which has been trying to repair its reputation following years of sexual abuse scandals. That effort was further shaken in November when Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned after criticism of his handling of a child abuse case. Earlier this year, the Church’s governing body approved the redress scheme and a wider overhaul of safeguarding measures intended to restore trust.

In a statement, Church officials said they were aware of the “deeply regrettable data incident” and recognized the distress caused to survivors who had entrusted their personal information to the scheme. Kennedys Law accepted full responsibility for the breach, pledged to cooperate with regulators, and said it had launched an internal investigation. “Kennedys is deeply sorry for the hurt and concern caused to everyone affected by this significant error,” the firm said.

Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office, the national privacy watchdog, confirmed it had been notified of the incident and is reviewing the information provided.

Victims and their representatives are demanding accountability. Attorney David Greenwood, who represents several survivors, urged the Church to compensate those whose privacy was compromised. One of his clients, who asked not to be named, filed a formal complaint. “I have a right to lifelong anonymity under the law,” the survivor said. “This protection has now been severely compromised through no choice of my own.”