The UK Information Commissioner's Office is assessing complaints that BrewDog co-founder James Watt may have breached data protection rules when contacting former shareholders about his bid to buy back the business. Watt launched an offer through his new venture Second Best to acquire BrewDog from US owner Tilray Brands, and reportedly emailed former Equity for Punks investors offering them the same stake in Second Best for free. Unnamed recipients told The Guardian they did not know how Watt obtained their contact details, raising GDPR concerns. Tilray Brands stated it did not acquire shareholder data as part of its purchase of BrewDog assets and had no involvement in the communications, while Alix Partners, which assisted the sale, declined to comment.
Tilray IncGDPR complaint could lead to regulatory scrutiny or fines for Tilray's subsidiary BrewDog.
BrewDog is the subject of a GDPR complaint over shareholder data handling.