Hundreds of people - including victims of crime - have had their personal emails exposed in a privacy blunder by the Victorian courts. The agency responsible has apologised for breach - but some victims' lawyers say that's not enough.
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00:00One email, almost 500 recipients. It's understood some may be victims of crime.
00:09All entrusted their details to Victoria's Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal.
00:14Last week, those details were exposed.
00:17It's a horrific breach of privacy. It's just breathtaking.
00:23The breach was sparked by an email sent by the tribunal on Thursday,
00:27detailing changes to the way victims of crime can claim compensation.
00:32Instead of a blind CC, every email was visible to every recipient.
00:37480 addresses, some first and last names.
00:42The tribunal recalled it twice, but it was too late.
00:46How is your client feeling?
00:48He's very frightened.
00:50Rachel Story has advised her clients to change their email addresses,
00:54but many have already received unwelcome messages.
00:57The tribunal will have to engage someone to independently review what's happened here,
01:01given the size and the scope.
01:03Court Services Victoria told the ABC,
01:05while the email didn't contain any sensitive information,
01:09the tribunal apologised unreservedly for the error.
01:13We'll look at measures to ensure it does not happen again,
01:16and is offering support to those affected.
01:19The breach has led to calls for the government to tighten security across the justice system,
01:24and to boost funding for victim support services.
01:29The government needs to pick up its act regarding protecting people who come before the courts,
01:35expecting justice, expecting safety and privacy.