Church of England Redress Scheme Data Breach
On 26 August 2025, a data breach occurred when an email was sent to almost 200 people who had registered for updates about the Church of England’s Redress Scheme. Instead of being sent confidentially, the message openly displayed the names and email addresses of every recipient.
I received the email myself, having registered for updates in a professional capacity. While my details are already in the public domain, many of those affected had signed up privately because they are survivors of abuse within the Church. For them, this disclosure represents a serious breach of confidentiality.
This incident is a significant data breach. Survivors are entitled to expect that their identities and contact details will be protected. That expectation has not been met.
The Church of England had also specifically assured applicants that their email addresses would not be shared with the Church itself. Yet some Church of England addresses appeared in the distribution list, placing the Church in further breach of these assurances to survivors.
This incident has caused significant anxiety for those whose details were disclosed. Survivors are entitled to a process that protects their privacy from the outset. In response, I have written to the Church of England Redress Scheme and asked them to:
- Apologise to all those affected by the breach.
- Refer the breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
- Publish the steps it will take to ensure that such a breach does not happen again.
You can read the full text of my open letter here.
At BBK, we represent many survivors of church abuse. We will continue to hold institutions accountable when they fail to safeguard the people who place their trust in them. If you are a survivor of church abuse and would like to speak in confidence about your options, please contact us below or me directly at hayleychapman-todd@bbkllp.co.uk
If you have been affected by this data breach and would like to raise a complaint, you can do so via the Information Commissioner’s Office.
