P&O ferry passengers hit by data breach during sailing

Customers on a P&O ferry have been hit by a data breach after personal information was shared during the sailing on Monday.

P&O Ferries said that an “isolated incident” saw personal information “inadvertently shared” with other customers on the Calais to Dover route.

A P&O Ferries spokesperson said: “We are aware of an isolated incident that took place on the morning of Monday 31 August 2026 in which a link containing certain personal information relating to customers on a single sailing was inadvertently shared with a number of those customers.”

The cross-Channel operator said affected customers have been contacted directly.

They added: “We take the security and confidentiality of personal information seriously and apologise for any inconvenience. We will continue to keep affected customers informed through the appropriate channels as further information becomes available.”

An Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) spokesperson said that P&O Ferries had reported an incident, adding that it is “assessing the information provided”.

GDPR rules in Britain require all organisations to report personal data breaches to relevant authorities within 72 hours of becoming aware of the issue.

The ICO said: “People have the right to expect that organisations will keep their information secure.”

Last week, a cyber security breach targeting three major UK airports led to the personal data of around 8.7 million customers being accessed, operator Manchester Airport Group (MAG) has confirmed.

The group, which oversees Manchester airport, London Stansted and East Midlands airport, assured the public that "at no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised", adding that no payment or banking details were exposed.

It is understood that the information accessed primarily consists of customer email addresses gathered during terminal wifi registrations.

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