An American hacker hacked into the systems of the Booking.com hotel website in early 2016 and accessed the details of thousands of reservations for hotels in countries in the Middle East. The site has not notified the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) and affected customers, writes Norwegian Refugee Council.
After two months of investigation, four specialists from Booking.com identified the hacker as a man with close ties to US intelligence services, he wrote. Norwegian Refugee Council. It is not known what the intentions of the Americans were.
uncomfortable
Booking.com, a Dutch company headquartered in Amsterdam, asked Dutch intelligence service AIVD to help investigate the large-scale data theft, but did not inform the affected customers and the Associated Press. The firm was not legally obligated to do so at the time, management ruled on the advice of law firm Hogan Lovells. The Associated Press wants the opposition Norwegian Refugee Council do not react.
Booking.com’s security specialists were uncomfortable with the decision to remain silent about the data breach, those involved say. Experts are also critical. Under the privacy law in force at the time, the company was required to notify the data subject of the data theft if it “was likely to adversely affect their privacy”.
Hotel website spokesperson late Norwegian Refugee Council Know that a security team at the time fully addressed the issue and launched a criminal investigation. The spokesperson said no evidence was found that the data breach had “real negative effects” on customers’ private lives, and therefore, according to the company, there was no need to report it.
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