In an unfortunate oversight, the UK Department for Business and Trade accidentally exposed the confidential email addresses of a number of influential entrepreneurs. Among those affected was Bernard Arnault, the founder and head of luxury conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), daily.afisha.ru reports, citing Sky News.
The incident occurred while sending out invitations to the upcoming International Investment Summit in London. About 300 recipients, including well-known businessmen, discovered that their email addresses were visible to all participants in the mailing list.
The department quickly responded to the situation, apologizing and explaining the incident as a “human error.” The incident was reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office for further investigation.
Bernard Arnault, whose data was among those exposed, is one of the richest people on the planet. The founder of LVMH has repeatedly topped the Forbes billionaire rankings, and his current fortune is estimated at $182 billion, which places him in fifth place on the list of the richest people in the world.