WPP instructs lawyers to trace source of damaging private message leaks
WPP is taking aggressive measures to get to the bottom of the leak of sensitive emails by instructing two law firms to investigate who the source may be from within their midst.
WPP instructs lawyers to trace source of damaging email leaks
According to the Financial Times, several current and former employees have been in receipt of at least six anonymous emails containing extracts cribbed predominantly from private exchanges on the WhatsApp messaging service but also including internal emails.
In a statement WPP wrote: “On their behalf we have collated the emails and passed them to external legal counsel to try to ascertain the source of the Proton emails and to provide advice for the benefit of WPP and the three recipients.”
Both Slaughter and May & Millbank have been hired in an attempt to trace the source of this material, said by the FT to include discussions of Sorrell’s travel arrangements and the eider bonus structure operated by the ad giant.
Whoever is behind the leaks has taken steps to shroud their identity, making use of a Swiss-based encrypted email service called Proton to cover their tracks and WPP are confident that none of the material could have been accessed by external hackers.
One of the messages under investigation is said to be an exchange between a senior executive and a junior employee, a screenshot of which is to have been included in one of the emails.
Last week former WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell told The Drum that he wanted an enquiry into leaks over the internal investigation that led to his resignation and queried why one had not already been carried out by his former business. Both parties has signed an NDA prior to Sorrell's stepping down.
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WPP plc is a British multinational communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce holding company headquartered in London, England. It was...
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