The Guardian Top News｜“这小丑怎么拿到我的资料？”：BrewDog创始人因向“股权朋克”发送邮件遭投诉
James Watt, the founder of BrewDog, contacted thousands of shareholders. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian
Exclusive: Watchdog asked to look into how James Watt got data of ex-crowdfunders he invited to join buy-back bid
James Watt, the BrewDog founder who sold the debt-laden punk brewer earlier this year , is the subject of complaints to the UKs data privacy watchdog linked to his surprise bid to buy the company back, the Guardian has learned.
BrewDogs brand, intellectual property, UK breweries and 11 bars were sold to the US cannabis and drinks firm Tilray in March for 0533m, in a deal that rendered the shares of more than 200,000 crowdfunding investors worthless .
On Wednesday, Watt unexpectedly announced a plan to wrest back control of the beer company, with support from 43,000 of those investors, labelled equity punks, via a new venture called Second Best.
The audacious proposal involved Watt contacting thousands of shareholders to offer them the exact same stake in Second Best that you once held in BrewDog , for free.
Several sources who received an email from Watt said they did not understand how he had their contact details, giving rise to concerns about a potential breach of the general data protection regulation (GDPR) C strict rules governing how organisations can collect, store and process personal data.
Watt denied any wrongdoing. A communication was sent to my fellow shareholders in BrewDog following legal advice, using lawfully obtained data, and in connection with their legitimate interests as shareholders, he said. He did not explain how contact details of shareholders were obtained.
The Information Commissioners Office (ICO), which regulates data privacy, has been asked to investigate by several former BrewDog shareholders who received messages from Watt.
The watchdog, which has the power to impose fines or compel organisations to change their practices if it finds a GDPR breach, is now considering the complaints.
Marc Knox, a former equity punk, said he had written to Second Best about his concerns and was prepared to take a complaint to the ICO, although he had not yet done so.
I got the email last Sunday and I kind of laughed. I wasnt thinking about complaining but I talked to a friend, looked online and saw there were lots of people saying the same thing: How has this joker got my details?
The Guardian understands that neither Tilray nor AlixPartners, the administrator of the remainder of BrewDog, provided any such information to the self-styled punk brewer.
Ravi Naik, the legal director at the data protection specialist AWO, said that while it was not clear that a breach of privacy laws had taken place, the case raised significant questions.
I can understand why the individuals have complained to the ICO, he said. There seem to be questions to answer and the ICO should explain if they plan to take action on these complaints. Key questions are how the people who received the email were selected and whether the email campaign was compliant with the law.
A spokesperson for Tilray said the company did not acquire Equity for Punks shareholder data as part of its acquisition of the BrewDog brand and assets; that records system remains under the control of BrewDog plc (in administration).
For the avoidance of doubt, Tilray Brands (trading as BrewDog) and its current management team have no involvement in, affiliation with, or responsibility for James Watts business activities, including Second Best.
Tilray Brands did not authorise, facilitate, or participate in the communications reportedly sent to former Equity for Punks investors and did not authorise the use of any acquired data for such purposes.
We take data privacy with the utmost seriousness and can categorically confirm that no data held by Tilray Brands has been shared with external entities or former directors. All communications with our customer base are conducted in strict compliance with GDPR.
The ICO said it did not comment on individual cases but all complaints were considered in line with its standard process.
The Guardian has approached AlixPartners for comment.
【独家】监管机构被要求调查詹姆斯·瓦特如何获取其邀请参与回购计划的前众筹者数据
《卫报》获悉，BrewDog创始人詹姆斯·瓦特（James Watt）今年早些时候出售了这家负债累累的“朋克”啤酒商，如今因其突然提出回购公司的举动，引发了向英国数据隐私监管机构的投诉。
今年3月，英国精酿啤酒品牌BrewDog（酿酒狗）将其品牌、知识产权、英国酿酒厂及11家酒吧以3300万英镑的价格出售给美国大麻饮料公司Tilray。这笔交易导致逾20万名众筹投资者持有的股份变得一文不值。
周三，瓦特（Watt）出人意料地宣布了一项计划，在4.3万名被称为“股权朋克”的投资者的支持下，通过一家名为“次优”（Second Best）的新企业夺回这家啤酒公司的控制权。
这项大胆的提议要求瓦特联系数千名股东，向他们提供‘与当初在BrewDog所持股份完全相同的Second Best股份，且完全免费’。
多位收到瓦特（Watt）邮件的人士表示，他们不清楚对方如何获取了自己的联系方式，这引发了对可能违反《通用数据保护条例》（GDPR）的担忧。该条例严格规定了组织收集、存储和处理个人数据的规范。
瓦特否认有任何不当行为。他表示：“在遵循法律建议、使用合法获取的数据，并与股东合法权益相关的前提下，我向BrewDog的其他股东发送了一份通讯。”但他未说明股东联系方式的获取途径。
英国信息专员办公室（ICO）负责监管数据隐私事务，现已被数名收到瓦特（Watt）信息的BrewDog前股东要求展开调查。
该监管机构有权在发现违反《通用数据保护条例》（GDPR）行为时处以罚款或强制相关组织整改，目前正在审议这些投诉。
前股票经纪人马克·诺克斯（Marc Knox）表示，他已就自己的担忧致信Second Best公司，并准备向英国信息专员办公室（ICO）提出投诉，尽管目前尚未采取行动。
上周日我收到那封邮件时不禁哑然失笑。原本没打算投诉，但和朋友聊过后上网一看，发现许多人都在说同样的话：‘这个滑稽家伙怎么会有我的个人信息？’
据《卫报》了解，蒂莱里（Tilray）和啤酒品牌BrewDog剩余资产的管理方AlixPartners均未向这家自诩为“朋克”的酿酒商提供任何此类信息。
数据保护专业机构AWO的法律总监拉维·奈克表示，尽管目前尚不清楚是否发生了违反隐私法的行为，但此案引发了重大质疑。
他表示："我理解这些人为何向英国信息专员办公室（ICO）投诉。似乎有些问题需要解答，ICO应当说明是否会针对这些投诉采取行动。关键问题在于邮件接收者的筛选标准，以及该邮件营销活动是否合法。"
Tilray公司发言人表示，该公司在收购BrewDog品牌及资产时，并未获取“Equity for Punks”股东数据；该记录系统仍由（处于接管状态的）BrewDog plc掌控。
为避免歧义，特此声明：Tilray Brands（以BrewDog名义开展业务）及其现任管理层团队与詹姆斯·瓦特（James Watt）的商业活动（包括Second Best项目）无任何关联、隶属关系或责任承担。
Tilray Brands既未授权、协助也未参与据称发送给前Equity for Punks投资者的通讯，且未授权将任何获取的数据用于此类用途。
我们高度重视数据隐私问题，并明确声明Tilray Brands持有的所有数据均未与外部机构或前任董事共享。所有与客户群体的沟通均严格遵循《通用数据保护条例》（GDPR）的规定执行。
英国信息专员办公室（ICO）表示不会对个案发表评论，但所有投诉均会按照其标准流程予以处理。
《卫报》已联系艾睿铂（AlixPartners）寻求置评。
