{
  "id": 7822433,
  "title": "50,000 Brits caught up in huge passport scare. Did you hand over your ID in Spain?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/50-000-brits-caught-up-in-huge-passport-scare-did-you-hand-over-your",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T16:05:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euro Weekly News",
    "slug": "euro-weekly-news",
    "url": "https://euroweeklynews.com/2026/09/16/50000-brits-caught-up-in-huge-passport-scare-did-you-hand-over-your-id-in-spain/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "More than 50,000 British nationals and around 12,000 Irish passport holders may have had their personal information exposed after records from nearly one million passport and identity document scans were left accessible online. Cannabis social clubs operating in Spain are suspected to be the source of the security breach. These clubs often require members to register and provide identification, potentially including passports. The affected records were stored on a database used by Cannabis Club Systems (CCS), an Irish-registered company. The database contained 985,841 identity-document scans, including passports, identity cards, and driving licences, from 377 clubs across Spain, the UK, Ireland, South Africa, and other countries. While CCS denied that any personal information was extracted, the researcher who identified the records found 50,113 British nationals in the database. Spain's Data Protection Agency has not found any wrongdoing, and the company claims the vulnerabilities have been fixed. However, cybersecurity experts warn that exposed passport details can facilitate identity fraud and scams, and advise affected individuals to contact their respective clubs or CCS through official channels.",
  "summary": "If you have ever handed over your passport to join a cannabis club in Spain, you may want to pay […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Over 50,000 British nationals' data exposed online",
    "Cannabis clubs in Spain likely source of breach",
    "CCS claims vulnerabilities fixed, advises contacting clubs"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "Huge wildfire in Valencia region burns 690 hectares after Spain’s hottest summer",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/huge-wildfire-in-valencia-region-burns-690-hectares-after-spains",
        "published": "2026-09-16T13:34:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}