A Garda investigation was launched into an incident that saw malicious and defamatory material sent to 180 households of children attending a Galway school, it has been confirmed.
Files and computer hardware were seized for forensic examination during the course of the investigation, while members of the school’s teaching staff were also interviewed by gardaí.
The operation at Coláiste Iognáid on Sea Road was launched following reports of a data protection breach at the secondary school, in which personal information relating to 180 families was obtained by an unauthorised third party.
The information was used to send correspondence to each of the households, which contained malicious and defamatory statements relating to an individual connected with the school.
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner confirmed that Coláiste Iognáid or ‘The Jes’ reported an incident to the Breach Section of the Office on September 16, 2014 in accordance with the Personal Data Security Breach Code of Practice.
This code of practice applies to situations in which personal data has been put at risk of unauthorised disclosure, destruction or alteration.
It is understood that the breach came to light when parents of children enrolled at the school – some of whom are among the teaching staff – reported receiving anonymous letters that contained malicious allegations.
For more on the investigation, see this week’s Galway City Tribune
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