U.K. government accidentally publishes addresses of more than 1,000 celebrities

Elton John attends a screening of "Rocketman" at the Cannes Film Festival in France in May. His name was on a list of celebrities that was accidentally published by the government of the United Kingdom that included their addresses. - Copyright Vittorio Zunino Celotto

By Dennis Romero and Mahalia Dobson with NBC News World News

Published on 29/12/2019 - 04:22

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"The information was removed as soon as possible," the Cabinet Office said in an apology.

The government of the United Kingdom apologized Saturday after it published a list of 1,000 celebrities and notables that included some personal information, such as addresses.

The New Year Honours 2020 list, which recognizes societal achievements and contributions by bestowing more than 1,000 honorees with terms of achievement, including knighthood for some.

The 2020 list of recipients, unveiled Thursday, included Sir Elton John (Companion of Honour), Olivia Newton-John (damehood) and director Sam Mendes (knighthood).

"The information was removed as soon as possible," the Cabinet Office said in a statement. "We apologise to all those affected and are looking into how this happened."

The office said that those whose addresses were revealed were being contacted.

The U.K. privacy group Big Brother published on Twitter remarks of its director, Silkie Carlo. She said the exposure was "inexcusable" and that government "doesn't have a basic grip on data protection."

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