Following on from our previous article, the Cambridge SU Trustee Board commissioned an external investigation regarding the use of student data on the SU elections platform. An external investigator from Coole Insight Ltd. was brought in to conduct a full investigation, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews with students and SU staff.
The investigation concluded that there had been a data breach of some students’ personal data and provided a list of recommendations for Cambridge SU to complete over the coming months. Some progress has already been made to act on these recommendations. A report from Coole Insight Ltd. can be found on our Student Council page, listed as a separate item from the trustees. This item also includes a timeline of planned actions that Cambridge SU will be undertaking to resolve this issue.
We sincerely apologise for the mistakes made in this situation and for the distress and uncertainty caused to students over the last few months. We would also like to apologise for any lack of clarity or miscommunication throughout the process, including the initial statement made that we now know to be untrue. In all our work we prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our members, especially those from marginalised groups. We will be acting swiftly to ensure that the recommendations from the investigation are completed as soon as possible, and will update students as progress is made on this. We always welcome feedback from students on how we can be better, and this will include making it easier and clearer to raise concerns and complaints in future.
We would like to reiterate that the function has been turned off on the website, and this personal data is no longer available to any student volunteers.