Sweden’s largest insurer, Folksam, has admitted to accidentally leaking the private data of one million of its customers to tech firms.
According to U.S. News & World Report, Folksam insures every second home in Sweden, giving the company access to vast troves of personal and private data on its customers. Unfortunately, the company accidentally shared that data with Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Microsoft.
Unlike the US, the EU has strict data privacy laws in the form of the GDPR. As a result, data breaches such as this one can result in hefty fines and penalties if not handled correctly. Folksam has assured customers that it does not appear any of the data was used improperly by third-parties, and vowed to do better.
“We take what has happened seriously. We have immediately stopped sharing this personal information and requested that it be deleted,” said Jens Wikstrom, Folksam’s head of marketing.
This data breach is just the latest example demonstrating the risks that come with the current state of the tech industry, and specifically cross-industry interdependencies that have become commonplace.