Data breach exposes personal data of 40,000 UK Film and TV union members
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The Prospect trade union, one of the United Kingdom's largest professional unions, is reporting an IT security incident that compromised the personal information of thousands of its members, especially those belonging to Bectu, the prominent film and television industry union.
Bectu is one of the largest UK screen industry unions and serves professionals across the broadcasting, film, theater, and entertainment sectors. The parent organization, Prospect, represents approximately 157,000 members from various professions including engineers, scientists, managers, and civil servants across the United Kingdom.
The nature of the attack is not disclosed. The compromised data includes:
- Bank details and financial account information
- Contact details including addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses
- Personal identifiers such as dates of birth
- Protected characteristics (information related to equality and diversity)
- Personal case files containing highly sensitive information
The breach occurred in June 2025 and was reported to affected members in October 2025 through email notifications from Prospect General Secretary. The exact number of individuals affected has not been officially confirmed by Prospect, but the breach likely affected the majority of Bectu's approximately 40,000 members.
Prospect has informed the Information Commissioner's Office and the police. As part of their response to affected members, members have been offered complimentary access to credit and identity monitoring over the next 12 months.
