Bank of Valletta is facing an investigation by the Information and Data Protection Commissioner for accidentally revealing some of its clients’ email addresses when it sent out a mass email using the CC function instead of the BCC function.

A spokesperson for the Commissioner confirmed with Lovin Malta that its office has contacted BOV and investigation will be initiated.

BOV confirmed that the email wasn’t business-related but rather an informational message about the upcoming temporary closure of some of its services as a result of an upgrade to its IT system.

“It was a genuine mistake and we apologise to the clients who were affected by it,” a bank spokesperson said.

Failing to use the BCC function when sending out an email to several clients is in breach of the EU’s GDPR data protection laws as it qualifies as revealing people’s personal details without  their prior consent.