GAA PRESS RELEASE

GAA PRESS RELEASE 10.12.10 Servasport Ltd., has informed the GAA that there has been unauthorised access to the GAA membership database.

Servasport Ltd., a Belfast based company that develops and maintains the GAA membership database, has issued an unreserved apology to the GAA and to our members. The GAA became aware of the data breach when it was informed on the 19th November 2010 that disks containing the database had been received by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and the GPA who immediately passed the disk to the GAA. The Information Commissioners Office in Belfast also received a disk.
An investigation is being carried out by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and in order to facilitate this investigation the GAA has been unable to inform members until today.

The database contains the names and addresses of 501,786 members.  In relation to these members the database holds:

  • 288,511 dates of birth
  • 107,212 mobile numbers
  • 63,695 landline numbers
  • 30,171 email addresses

 In the case of 544 members, the database contains a reference to a medical condition. The GAA is writing directly to each of these members setting out the information recorded about them.   167,157 of the members on the database are under 18 years of age.  It is GAA policy that mobile phone or email details of persons under 18 years of age should not be stored on any database. The policy states that any such communication should be via the mobile phone or email address of their parent or guardian.

No other GAA IT system is affected by this incident. The database does not contain any financial or any other information.

 This matter is being taken very seriously by the GAA:

  • The GAA is working closely with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, the Information Commissioners Office and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
  • Deloitte has been engaged to undertake an independent review of Servasport and other suppliers of IT to the GAA
  • All clubs have been sent information
  • The GAA has set up an Information Line

 

Any member or any parent/guardian with any questions, or who wishes  to establish whether data relating to them has been affected by this incident, should contact the Information Line on a Lo Call number: 1890 987 807 or 0800 0114787 (from Six Counties) 8am to 8pm daily.

Related press releases are available at:www.psni.police.uk/ Press Office 0044 845 600 8000 www.dataprotection.ie Press Office 00 353 (0) 57 8684800www.ico.gov.uk Press Office 0044-303-1239070  Further InformationLisa ClancyGAA Director of Communications003531-8658614/003531-86586120035387-2314260     

 

 

12-Dec-10 by Colette Fox – PRO