‘How’s this joker got my details?’: BrewDog founder faces complaints over emails to ‘equity punks’
Summary
James Watt, the founder of BrewDog, is facing complaints about emails he sent to former BrewDog investors, called “equity punks,” offering them shares in a new company. Some recipients said they didn’t know how Watt got their contact details, raising concerns about possible breaches of UK data privacy laws. The UK data privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), is now looking into these complaints.Key Facts
- James Watt sold BrewDog earlier in 2024 to the US company Tilray for £33 million.
- More than 200,000 BrewDog investors lost the value of their shares after the sale.
- Watt emailed thousands of these investors to offer them free shares in a new venture called Second Best.
- Many recipients questioned how Watt obtained their contact details.
- The complaints allege possible violations of the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- Watt said he followed legal advice and used data lawfully but did not explain how he got the information.
- Tilray stated it did not have or share investor data with Watt and denied involvement in the email campaign.
- The ICO is considering the complaints and may investigate if data laws were broken.
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