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Premium 'Recently Registered' email

155 replies

SantasBritchesSpelleas · 24/12/2020 20:29

I had an email advertising Premium saying 'We noticed you recently registered with Mumsnet'. I registered several years ago! Is this an error or is it like moving into a small village where you're still considered an incomer 20 years later?

OP posts:
Lucylaine · 27/12/2020 13:15

Thanks, I have done.

MeMarmiteYouJam · 27/12/2020 12:46

Anyone wanting to make a complaint can check into it further here:

www.gov.uk/data-protection/make-a-complaint

I, for one, would be trusting the the govt website above and beyond MNHQ.

R0wantrees · 27/12/2020 12:45

"Article 5 of the GDPR sets out seven key principles which lie at the heart of the general data protection regime.

Article 5(1) requires that personal data shall be:

“(a) processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals (‘lawfulness, fairness and transparency’);

(b) collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be considered to be incompatible with the initial purposes (‘purpose limitation’);

(c) adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed (‘data minimisation’);

(d) accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that are inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are processed, are erased or rectified without delay (‘accuracy’);

(e) kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed; personal data may be stored for longer periods insofar as the personal data will be processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes subject to implementation of the appropriate technical and organisational measures required by the GDPR in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals (‘storage limitation’);

(f) processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures (‘integrity and confidentiality’).”

Article 5(2) adds that:

“The controller shall be responsible for, and be able to demonstrate compliance with, paragraph 1 (‘accountability’).”

:ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/principles/

MeMarmiteYouJam · 27/12/2020 12:42

The cheek of it to admit to holding people's data against their will, and then claiming it's not a GDPR breech. Ffs.

R0wantrees · 27/12/2020 11:05

@Lucylaine

Had the same email to an account/email address I specifically asked them to remove after their second to last data breach. So MN HQ, what the hell are you still doing with that data? It's a GDPR breach that you would still even have that.
I have the same issue @MichaelMumsnet , you do not have permission to hold my previously used email address on a database. Its a GDPR breach.
SallyLovesCheese · 27/12/2020 10:41

This is why I registered on Mumsnet with my never-used Hotmail address. They can send what they like there, I never look and it's full of spam, phishing emails and junk. I did just go and check and I received this email too.

Who wants an email like this on Christmas Eve at 8:41pm?!

Mumsnet, if you think sending it at a time when more people ("mums"?) are sitting down, feeling happy and more likely to sign up, I think you've mis-read the room considering the year we've just had.

Mdmd · 27/12/2020 10:28

@Lucylaine

Had the same email to an account/email address I specifically asked them to remove after their second to last data breach. So MN HQ, what the hell are you still doing with that data? It's a GDPR breach that you would still even have that.
@MichaelMumsnet this is the breach issue.
MichaelMumsnet · 27/12/2020 10:26

Hi all, and thanks for bearing with us whilst we investigated.

While this email certainly shouldn't have gone out to everyone who ended up receiving it, this send doesn't constitute a data breach. Anyone who has sent a deregister request to MN is automatically placed on our 'unsubscribe' list which means we can't contact them with marketing messages and they wouldn't have received this email.

The email was sent to some users who have been previously banned - this was completely unintentional and we're putting in measures to prevent them being contacted again.

As per our message last night, if we have contacted you on an 'old' email address please do forward the email you received (to contactus@) and we will remove it from our email system asap.
Thanks again.
MNHQ.

C8H10N4O2 · 27/12/2020 09:16

because I use the same VPN as a prolific PBP according to the apology email

Head|Wall

thecognoscenti · 27/12/2020 09:04

It does sound like a data breach, if MNHQ have sent a mass email to addresses it shouldn't even have on record.

I also received the email (to an address I'm happy to use, thankfully). Like others I'm not a 'mum' so it did miss the mark.

MeMarmiteYouJam · 27/12/2020 08:50

Yes, I seem to remember quite a massive data breech due to a rogue intern that didn't seem to be dealt with properly.

Thelnebriati · 27/12/2020 02:25

I had an account maliciously deregistered and the email I sent to MNHQ to alert them was ignored.

I had the next account suspended, (because I use the same VPN as a prolific PBP according to the apology email), and that email address had the Premium marketing email sent to it.

MummytoCSJH · 27/12/2020 01:57

I also received this to an old email address I have changed. Did think it was odd with the 'recently registered' as I've been here quite a while now but didn't think much more of it - bit concerned now though!

Lucylaine · 27/12/2020 01:28

@MichaelMumsnet no I think I'd rather report it properly as a data breach.

Lucylaine · 27/12/2020 01:16

Had the same email to an account/email address I specifically asked them to remove after their second to last data breach. So MN HQ, what the hell are you still doing with that data? It's a GDPR breach that you would still even have that.

ArosGartref · 26/12/2020 23:41

Anyone who really has been around for years know how terrible Mumsnet is for data protection. Needless to say I won't be emailing them the address they're not even supposed to have in their database Confused

Mdmd · 26/12/2020 23:16

If what’s being described here is true, that’s a data breach.

Oops.

Thelnebriati · 26/12/2020 23:03

Either they shouldn't have kept it at all, or they should be kept it on a database of banned email addresses (to flag them if people try to use them again) so shouldn't be sending mail to it.
They should be on a back database, and not accessible to marketing.

Fallingirl · 26/12/2020 22:21

Wait, would this be a gdpr breech?

What are the rules around GDPR?
Would MN be obliged to delete emails for people who have been banned?

MeMarmiteYouJam · 26/12/2020 21:10

@TinselAngel

Friends who have been banned also got the email, causing them to wonder what would happen if they did rejoin and sign up for Premium?
Wait, would this be a gdpr breech?
MichaelMumsnet · 26/12/2020 19:50

Thanks to those who have been in touch already. We've put a fix in place and no further emails are being sent out.
If you're one of the people reporting that the email was sent to an old address, please could you forward it to us so that we can double check things at our end. (Please send it to [email protected]).
Apologies once again for the Christmas confusion.

AaronPurr · 26/12/2020 18:55

Did anyone not receive this?

Judging by the account age / inactive emails mentioned by previous posters, I suspect everyone recieved it.

C8H10N4O2 · 26/12/2020 16:09

due to a human error it went out to a much larger segment of email addresses on our database

Did anyone not receive this? I received it to this account (12 yrs old) and also to my previous account which I was pretty sure I'd deleted when I abandoned MN for a year or so.

Also do you really welcome new members with 15 yr old classist in jokes?

It was so off tone I thought it was spam.

Melroses · 26/12/2020 15:01

Another one got a message to an old e-mail address.

TinselAngel · 26/12/2020 12:47

Friends who have been banned also got the email, causing them to wonder what would happen if they did rejoin and sign up for Premium?

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